Light Without The Dark
by Rose White007
Summary: The Death Note fell; Light walked away. Light/OC, L AU ... So, who has the Death Note?
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own the Death Note franchise & I'm not making any money off this _fan_ work. This disclaimer applies to all subsequent chapters of this story.

A/N: Not Death Note Redux Too, it is on the back burner but coming along! I went through a lot of loss during the last half of 2017 & I'm still recovering from it; this story & The Marauders were on my mind more heavily & are being posted ahead of other things. LwtD will be updated on Wednesdays until done!

In other news, I have a book on Amazon Kindle called **Magical Girl** available for $2.99 (ebook) and/or $9.99 paperback. It's a young adult magical realism work & I LOVE it + hope you will, too!

FREE DAY on August 29, 2018.

Get yo'self a copy of **Magical Girl on Kindle** & be sure to review it so others will buy!

* * *

 _...shall die?_

 _...like one of those chain letters..._

He turned once more, looked toward the strange notebook, briefly considered going back for it, when a sudden commotion called his attention toward the school's entrance.

Instead of returning for the so-called 'Death Note' Yagami, Light walked away from the grotesque book, thinking to himself it was better to leave something like that alone anyway.

Made by some disturbed student? Dropped from the roof. No one with a healthy mind had need for such a twisted fantasy; certainly, he didn't.

What if someone were to see him with it? That kind of thing was a first class ticket to a psychiatrist and he couldn't risk that. He'd set his sights on employment within the criminal justice system; a record of mental health issues, substantiated or not, would be a high hurdle to overcome.

As it should be. That was a chance no one needed to take.

The world didn't need a sociopath in a place of power.

* * *

Doma, Rin pushed a piece of black hair behind her ear as she held her patterned uniform skirt to the back of her legs, bent at the knees and began gathering fallen items, carefully replacing them in her bag.

She heard them titter as they walked away, too slowly, taking time to glance back and make comments.

" _I thought **that school** was supposed to teach poise?"_

" _It's all about money..."_

It was true that the Hana School for Girls catered to those of a higher-class, but there were plenty of scholarships offered and, though she wasn't the recipient of one, she knew many girls who were. No matter their ability to pay tuition the students of her school had to demonstrate their gifts and strengths on a daily basis. Money was far from the deciding factor when it came to enrollment. It wasn't uncommon for some to crack under the pressure; if they couldn't meet the standards they were sent packing.

Despite that reality, the popular perception of the students at the Hana School, perpetuated between adolescent girls who _weren't_ attendees, persisted. Hana's students were viewed with scorn within their peer group.

Rin understood it was jealousy driven. That was nothing new and unfortunately, the more physical side of their envy wasn't new either.

There would always be people like that in the world.

"Can I help you?"

The one offering assistance was already level with her, bent down as she was, and he'd collected a bundle of folders.

"Thank you," she murmured, blinking back the mist. "You don't have to though."

"I know, but-" his eyes left her face briefly, focused on the group of girls only paces away. They were clearly shocked. "This wasn't just an accident, right? I wouldn't want you to think everyone at Daikoku is like that."

She wondered who he was, noted that even though people slowed down to watch none offered the same aid.

Why did the world have to be this way?

The unanswerable question was soon forgotten, her belongings replaced, and she stood with the boy who'd taken the time to assist her.

"Thank you," she said again with a bow. "Sorry, I'm sure you have other things to be doing."

He shrugged, adjusting the shoulder strap of his own bag, "Not really. I'm glad I could help you."

"Well," this was the forever awkward goodbye between strangers, "Thanks again. Um, have a good day."

She walked past him, only to find that he was headed in the same direction.

* * *

It was strange, he thought, walking with her. Rin.

Her name was Rin.

He walked home alone. Every day, without fail, he took the same route back to his family's house. There he would study, eat supper, and on certain days leave to attend cram school.

On his way to any destination there were hoards of people. People looking at their watches, people speaking on cellular devices, people checking their beepers. He felt he was surrounded by people, but he didn't walk _with_ them.

It wasn't so bad, walking with Rin.

She was headed to a convenience store, she told him. She'd had a work-study activity that took her away from Hana's campus and she wanted to stay out a little longer.

"Do things like that happen often?" he asked, almost unable to hide the resignation in his tone.

People were rotten.

"Uh...define _often_ ," she hedged.

Light sighed and muttered, "As expected."

"It's really just girls," she defended the judged unknowns. "You know, they get a little jealous sometimes. It makes them defensive."

"You mean it makes them bullies." He didn't know why he was speaking so bluntly, he was normally careful to keep thoughts like that to himself. There were some things you couldn't say and, in fact, he had a lot of complaints that went unspoken.

She exhaled loudly and he watched as her shoulders sagged. "Yeah. I guess. Not always though."

"No, but even once in a while is wrong." He _really_ didn't understand why he couldn't be bothered to filter his words.

"You're right," she yielded. "But, maybe they learned something this time? Maybe they won't do that kind of thing again."

Her positivity was soundly rejected. "Or maybe they'll be worse. Maybe they feel even more defensive."

"That's really negative."

"I think it's realistic."

She released a noise of irritation, closed her eyes for a moment, and then kicked a stone into the road. "Okay, you're right again. That's probably how it is. And hey, I remember you now. I knew I heard your name before."

Yagami, Light.

"You got the top scores in all of Japan. No wonder you're so accurate."

"Grades are one thing," he said. "This is different. Human nature is easy to predict."

She couldn't argue, the things he said were dead-on. People were a lot alike in all the worst ways. Those girls were probably stewing over being caught by their classmate, one they thought well of, and that wouldn't make them more conscientious. They'd be angry. Embarrassed.

Already inclined to take their emotions out on others, she could only imagine what they'd do if she met them again.

Within the small store she tried to dismiss Light, insisted he must have something better to do, but he stuck around anyway, waiting for her outside the shop after making a couple purchases of his own.

Rin felt she must be an annoyance.

* * *

There was no way he was letting her ride the bus back to Hana alone.

"...had something to do. I'll head straight to the prep school..."

His mother worried over it, but accepted his mild direction the way she always did. Sachiko wasn't a bad person, just easily led. Or misled. It depended on the intentions of the one speaking to her.

When Rin stepped out of the store he moved away from the payphone, to her side, closer than was actually appropriate given their status as almost-strangers, but necessary.

The man who shadowed her through the shop turned away at the sight of her companion, a hand in his hair, as if he'd not been about to follow.

* * *

They were still going the same way. It turned out Yagami was also headed to the convenience store and then the same bus she was taking. He was on his way to a prep school for more study.

She felt like less of a bother and, tentatively in an off-handed way, offered her cell phone number. To her surprise, he was quick to accept and as she got off the bus, moved down the sidewalk and showed her school identification card to the guard housed at the gate, she smiled.

It was a small smile that grew a tiny bit larger when he sent her a text about a minute after they parted company.

 _Even if they're worse, I guess not everyone is like that._


	2. Chapter One

A/N: Y'all, I have a book out on Amazon, **Magical Girl** , $2.99 ebook & $9.99 paperback. FREE DAY AUGUST 29, 2018. TODAY! If you read make sure to review! _Go check it out._ It's a young adult, magical realism setup. I flipping love it & I hope you will, too.

Check out my profile for a more detailed description!

Enjoy Light Without The Dark! This story updates on Wednesdays.

* * *

Rin definitely had a crush on Yagami, Light, but she wasn't going to do anything about it.

He was just so...attractive. In every possible way. He seemed so _real_ compared to the majority of the people in her life. He wasn't putting on a happy face about everything, he was honest. When he said things about the way humanity tended to behave, without apology, she didn't know how to respond. She thought she should try to change his mind, but what was the point when he was right?

It was freeing.

Instead of forever trying to see the best in people, trying to convince herself that humanity could be good even when she was constantly seeing the opposite, she could just say what she wanted to say.

Who knew talking negatively could make a person happy?

She'd thought the opposite must be true. If you forced yourself to see the good you'd _feel_ good, right? Sometimes that worked and people weren't always jerks, but other times speaking honestly lifted a weight you didn't realize you were carrying.

She felt like that when she spoke with Light. With _._ That was different. He didn't talk At her or Down to her the way so many did.

They didn't mean to most of the time, but words flowed without pause for contribution and once they said what they wanted to say, it was over. Superficial complaints, maybe an errant train of thought. She could hardly get a word in edgewise.

The thing was no one wanted their opinion swayed. At times they were looking for validation, but normally they just liked the sound of their own voice. No one wanted to deal with cognitive dissonance.

Even at Hana that was the predominant way of conversing and never about anything too serious. Controversy? It was unwanted. The worst of words centered on the green-eyed monster.

In any case, the students were kept as busy as possible to ensure that rarely happened. If there were fights the school's reputation would sink like a rock and if anyone ever _did_ lose their cool they were promptly shown the door.

Rules were strictly enforced at Hana's School for Girls, a private boarding institution at the tops academically. It wasn't easy to get in and most were preparing for entrance tests long before the middle school years.

Rin was one such student. Her mother was a Hana's graduate; she deeply valued the education she'd received and wanted the same for any daughter of her own. In the end, just one was born, the only child, but she'd been on track for Hana's since before she met the world.

Rin sometimes wondered what it would have been like to take another path, perhaps she would have gone to Daikoku Private Academy? It was also well ranked and her parents definitely would have sent her to the city for schooling, Hana's or not.

Hakodate was a beautiful place; she appreciated it's seaside and the view from Mount Hakodate so much more since leaving for high school, but she wouldn't have had the same educational opportunities if she remained. What the city offered was more diverse and enriching in a different way.

At Hana's, she had the ability to continue her hobby, glass working, while still receiving a top education. It was what her parents did, made glass trinkets and such; they sold them in a shop of their own, 'Glittering Glass'. It was quite popular, so much so they'd lately launched a website to sell to a broader audience.

Her work-study, the program she'd been returning from when she met Yagami, was at an artisan's studio. Hana's had an art department perfectly capable of seeing to her needs, it was where she spent a lot of free time getting ready for the academy's spring open house, but it was always beneficial to learn from a master. She was working on pieces to sell; it would be her senior year, one of a few final chances to leave a mark on Hana.

Rin wasn't sure she wanted to make a career of it the way her mother and father had, but she did enjoy the process. Really, though it was a thought she kept to herself, her desire for the future was rather... Backward. At least in the minds of Modern World dwellers.

The truth was that she didn't _want_ to go into the working world. She'd seen the way average salary people were treated, the way they all worked long hours with little to show for it in terms of productivity, and she wanted no part of it. The social rules associated with younger workers vs their elders, needless socializing after hours, it seemed so fruitless.

When it came to glass working she did it because it was fun. The reason she enjoyed it was because she didn't _have_ to do it. The minute a hobby became more, she'd lose interest.

She knew what she wanted, it just wasn't acceptable to talk about. Unless you were aiming for a top company, a respectable position like doctor or professor or lawyer, or you were already talented in some area like drawing or singing, no one wanted to hear about your dreams.

What she wanted was to be a wife, a mother and these days that was frowned on, however, the popular perceptions were one of the reasons she was so set on it.

She supposed it was her way of rebelling.

Young women of this day and age _did not_ go to special lengths to get married. In fact, they shunned marriage for a good long time, climbing the social ladder before eventually, maybe, marrying someone in a similar position. They might then have one child who would go to nursery as soon as possible.

She desired the opposite, but when she'd said as much to the career counselor she was met with wide-eyed disapproval. Of course, that only made her more set on having what she wanted.

Still, it wasn't something that could happen on its own. This was a two-person setup that required a willing second party and as yet she'd not met anyone who could fill that role.

Well, Yagami had her starry-eyed, but that didn't mean much. Surely he wasn't The One and, yes, despite her best efforts, she remained a romantic. She knew that was probably stupid, but it was an integral part of her character that couldn't be erased. She'd tried.

And now she was trying to tell herself that Yagami, Light was _no way, no how_ The One, even though her heart pounded whenever she thought of him because he _definitely was_.

* * *

Doma wasn't like the girls in his school and the next day Light spent locked away in the educational edifice solidified that fact. He also felt, more keenly than ever before, the irritation of dealing with the vapid concerns of his classmates.

She was just so...different. She'd halfheartedly tried to defend the populace, admitted the truth of the situation with little hesitation, and yet he still saw some optimism in her. She hoped for the better outcome while accepting its improbability.

Why did he feel like he knew her so well after a single meeting?

Probably because he'd thought those few minutes over so many times; she'd said a lot about herself without speaking at all. That was distinct too. She didn't spend time listing her accomplishments or extolling her virtues; she wasn't trying to make him think better of her. She was being herself and he found he liked who that was.

He wanted to ask her out, but this was his final year of high school and they hadn't known each other long and it would seem strange for him to call her out of the blue to ask her on a date when they'd only met once and that was by chance.

It was foolish of him to put her on such a pedestal, he didn't know her, but it was happening without his conscious permission. Each day that passed saw him silently comparing those around him to Rin and not one measured up. Fake smiles, exaggerated laughter. Glaring at one another as soon as backs were turned. It was sickening and yet he had to go along with it, as if he didn't see the truth.

'Don't rock the boat'.

'It can't be helped'.

He knew he was supposed to respect his peers for their basic humanity, but that was hard when they insisted on acting so idiotic. Complaining about their lack of funds, complaining about their academic performance, complaining about things that were under their control yet they refused to take responsibility for.

They could get part-time work, school officials allowed it. They could do more studying or seek extra help, something freely offered by teachers and administrators. But they didn't. They'd rather make objections about how unfair everything was.

It wasn't. There was nothing unfair about the choices they were making and no one else had anything to do with it.

It was honestly driving him into a corner and Light found himself thinking about the notebook he'd left on the lawn. He even went to see if it was still there once, but it was gone.

For the best, he told himself. He didn't need another push into dwelling on the stupidity of the world at large.

That 'Death Note' was the product of an unhealthy mind.

Still, it cropped up in his thoughts whenever something tragic was mentioned in the news. Kidnappings, murders, robberies. The world would be better off without criminals and he couldn't fault someone if they'd made the notebook with _that_ in mind. Maybe it was just a way to blow off steam. Better than taking those thoughts into reality and becoming a criminal yourself.

But, it was a moot point; the thing was gone and it had nothing to do with him. He had tests to prepare for, an entrance exam for To-Oh, and he couldn't shirk the responsibility of studying. To be honest, he had no reason to go out of his way and he knew it, but it made others think better of him. Knowing he spent so much time reading made it easier to accept his academic dominance. If his classmates really thought him a genius, as they sometimes joked, they'd resent him.

In reality he _was_ of a higher IQ than most, he wasn't sure about 'genius', but in either case, that wasn't something to brag about.

What he hoped to do with his intellect was have a positive impact on the world through the justice system. He'd already helped the Japanese police, within his father's division, solve a couple cases; of course, that wasn't publicized, all informal, but it was a foot in the door.

However, those experiences also opened his eyes to some of the problems the police faced and the more he saw, the more red tape he personally encountered, the more he disliked the idea of taking the same path as Soichiro.

The fact that he'd worked with them was actually, technically, not legal. Neither case was high profile or dangerous, but even so, he wasn't someone with proper clearance. Allowances could be made officially and in his case they were, but still.

The annoyance was multifaceted. On the one hand, he wished he could work for the force immediately, he'd proven his capabilities and loyalty; he was competent and eager to bring criminals to justice. On the other, it wasn't right for him to be allowed to know details of legal proceedings, even if his only intention was to help find the truth; a normal citizen wouldn't be given the opportunity. No matter his national ranking, no matter who his father was, without the appropriate licenses it shouldn't have been sanctioned.

Was there no winning in this world? If you did everything right you'd probably never get ahead, even in the justice system people called in favors, bribery was all too common. There was nothing sacred.

On top of it all no one saw it the way he did or if they _did_ they kept it to themselves. No one would speak about it.

He didn't mean to call Rin, but by the time he realized what he'd done the phone was ringing and she'd already answered, "Hello? Doma speaking."

"Ah, Rin-san, it's Yagami..."

"Ah! Light-san!"

The conversation went on. He'd expected awkward pauses and embarrassment, but nothing of the kind happened. It was too easy to talk to her. She didn't question his random call, only seemed happy to hear from him, eager to talk about anything and everything.

He found he was too, thoughts of injustice fading as he listened to a voice he couldn't help but call 'sweet'.

* * *

When the unexpected telephone call with Yagami, Light ended, Rin was on cloud nine. She tried to bring herself back down to earth, it was just a simple talk after all _,_ but when her roommate commented on how long she'd been out of their shared bedroom, she knew she was failing.

"It was that boy you told me about, right? They one you _like_."

"I don't _like_ him!"

"You do too! You're blushing right now!"

She couldn't deny that very visible fact; her face felt like it was on fire. "You're wrong, Mei. I like him fine, but it's not like that!"

"Whatever, Rin. I've known you for almost three years and you don't blush."

They'd been paired together in their first year at Hana, bound to be roommates for the duration of their high school careers, and that led to a sort of special bond. Best friends? Rin supposed most would assume that to be the case, but they didn't act the way so many in their school did.

She and Mei didn't hang on each other's arms or follow one another to the restroom. They hardly ever studied together.

But, maybe, their relationship was stronger than those of their classmates. They didn't need to make a statement about being friends. No one had to see how close they were; they weren't in it for status.

Honestly, Rin considered herself something of a hermit. If she had to live alone for months on end, with minimal human interaction, she'd be fine. She'd survive, thrive even. No feelings to worry about, no anxieties over saying the wrong thing. Not having to care what anyone thought of her.

Mei was almost someone who didn't care, not quite, but almost. There was still a barrier between them, one that didn't seem to exist with Light.

"Anyway, what was his name again? I can't remember..." Teasing.

"Yagami, Light," she muttered.

"What was that?"

"You heard me!"

Mei could push buttons though. Rin was normally composed, it took a lot to bother her enough to make her lose her cool, but Mei? She had a special talent.

"Light-kun. I saw his picture. He got top scores, right? And he's handsome. And older."

Rin tried to ignore what she was implying by changing out her uniform and into pajamas.

"Smart, attractive, older... Attractive, attractive, older, smar-" she was cut off when a pillow hit her in the face; Rin'd made no attempt to be gentle with the throw.

She didn't need to be told those things! She knew it all. It was ridiculous, unfair to everyone else. She didn't think she'd ever meet another boy like him.

"So admit it!"

"Okay!" It came out in a shout. "I like him! But, so what?"

Mei huffed in astonishment. "Amazing. You can say 'so what' when the boy you like is calling you for no reason. Some people really do live in a different world, don't they?"

"He probably just needed a break from studying. Don't read so much into it." Mei tended to blow things out of proportion, especially if a relationship was concerned. It was the reason her own rarely lasted more than a few months. "It's not a different world, it's reality. Maybe you should try living here for a while?"

Insults never stuck. Rude words faded as if they'd not been spoken.

"I prefer the dream of romance."

"Whatever. Just don't try to drag Yagami-san into those fantasies of yours."

"Oh, I won't. But don't you think _he_ might have a fantasy? Like... of you?"

"What?! You can't say things like that! That's, that's-!"

"You're turning red again!"

* * *

They hadn't spoken of anything important, so why did he keep thinking about it? Why did he want to call her again mere moments after saying, "Goodbye"?

He liked the sound of her voice. Calming, was it? Gentle. Yet she wasn't trying to make it that way; she wasn't putting on a front. Girls in his school, his own classmates, did that. They tried to speak in a way they thought would make them seem more feminine or something, but always came off so _fake_.

He knew he'd caught Rin off guard with the sudden call, hell he'd surprised himself, even so, she was definitely glad and he didn't regret it.

The next time he called her, he was going to ask her out. He'd told himself school needed to come first, but it didn't really. All the studying he did was for show. He was lucky, reading something once or twice was enough to make it stick. He had no reason to keep spending so many hours with classwork.

His family would be shocked, probably against it too, but he was going to quit the cram school. It was a waste of time and money and now he knew there could be other, happier, ways to spend his afternoons.


	3. Chapter Two

A/N: Enjoy **Light Without The Dark**! This story updates on Wednesdays. Thanks for the follows, favorites, & reviews so far o.O

* * *

"Quit the cram school?"

Sachiko, slow of thought when surprised, was taken aback by her son's declaration.

Light loved his mother, but the truth couldn't be denied. She wasn't stupid, far from it, but when compared with himself? And she took more time to think things through; there was nothing wrong with that, but sometimes it was a little irritating.

He didn't say things he didn't mean and, if he took the time to say it, he'd also taken the time to think about it.

"But, why? You've been going for so long..."

"I know, but to be honest I never needed it."

She was also surprised by that; it sounded almost like a brag and Light never did that.

"It's money that doesn't need to be spent and there are others things I'd like to do."

Sachiko shook herself. "School related?"

"Not exactly."

Well, that just didn't make any sense at all! Everything Light did was academic in some way. This was a huge departure from the norm and she was having trouble understanding his meaning.

"Mom, you don't have to worry about it. I know this is my last year of high school, but I promise I won't have any problems with testing. I spend a lot of time studying, but the truth is I don't actually need to."

She'd always suspected that much, but it was still so unlike him that she couldn't easily accept it. When he was young he'd picked up concepts so quickly it was astounding, there was no studying involved back then. But, now? It was different, wasn't it? High school. Long hours of study were expected.

She wasn't actually _against_ it, but there had to be a reason. "Why all of a sudden-?"

"A girl."

A girl?!

"She goes to the Hana School for Girls and I can't see her if I'm spending so much time in and out of cram school."

It was... shocking. Unbelievable. Slightly concerning.

"Mom, I know that probably sounds really crazy and abrupt, but-"

She broke in. There were questions to ask now, ones she'd sort of decided would never come up because Light wasn't that kind of person. When he'd started high school she'd thought, 'Someday soon now, he'll have a girlfriend', but it never happened. Occasional dates weren't the same and she made herself glad that he took school so seriously.

"Who is she?"

"Doma, Rin."

* * *

Sachiko took it upon herself to speak with Soichiro. Light would have done it, he'd said as much, but for some reason, she wanted to be the one.

Maybe it was the excitement?

Light almost turned into another person when she got him talking about Doma, Rin. He was such a reserved child, careful with the things he said and scrupulous when it came to actions. But talking about Rin? His words all ran together.

"He likes her," she muttered, wiping down the table after another dinner without her husband. His dishes were put aside for later. "A lot."

It was so obvious and he wasn't trying to hide it. That meant Rin had to be special because if there was one thing Sachiko knew about her son, it was that _he_ was special. He was. It wasn't just the feelings of a parent, of a mother. Other people knew it too. They didn't say it now that he was older, but when he was young they commented on it. He was so smart and his sense of right and wrong was innate.

Everyone knew he was supposed to do great things.

She hadn't met Doma, Rin yet, but if Light liked her then that was more than enough to recommend the girl.

(LINE BREAK)

* * *

"Light wants to quit the cram school?"

Of all the things Soichiro thought he'd come home to, that wasn't it.

He was late again, but earlier than most nights. The children were both locked away in their rooms for study and he sat at the dining table, his wife in her usual spot.

His bowl was before him; chopsticks rested on the table.

"Why?" He couldn't think of a reason; Light was a diligent student, to say the least. He'd never had many interests outside of studying. Learning about the criminal justice system, sure, but that was also related to educational plans.

"Well," she was a tiny bit worried about his reaction. Soichiro was a stickler for rules and having things done correctly; obviously, in his line of work it was necessary, but he felt the same way when it came to home. Light especially.

There'd never been any sort of problem with him and this, as surprised as Sachiko had been, would undoubtedly _stun_ Soichiro.

"A girl."

Silence for a moment and then, "A girl?!"

Yes. Stunned was the right word for it. So stunned that he was speechless.

"You know he doesn't need to do all that studying," it was damage control. "I know it, too. And you should have _seen_ him talking about her. He's never been like that before! I was floored. Only talking about her and he was so happy that I just had to agree-"

"Who _is_ she?"

"Her name is Rin, she goes to the Hana School. He met her by accident when she, well he says she was _pushed_ , and she'd dropped her things outside the gate. He hasn't seen her again yet, but they've talked and-"

" _Light_?"

"I know!"

"... _Light_?"

"Yes!"

If someone had told Soichiro that morning that his son would suddenly want to change his entire routine over a girl, he'd have called them crazy. When it came to Light education was his top priority and he focused on a finding a future with the Japanese police. Nothing else had ever mattered to him.

Of course, as his father, he'd thought someday a relationship would come about. At the same time though, he didn't think it would. Not for a while at least. Not until college was well underway. Maybe he'd meet a girl there, someone on the same track, someone with similar interests, someone smart, someone-

He didn't know. Just someone.

Now that Someone had a name and he couldn't help feeling blindsided.

Who was Doma, Rin? Why was Light so enamored? Was it a lasting emotion or would he cool off in time?

He was seventeen and he'd never acted this way before so it was hard to predict, but Light was far from frivolous. He was very serious about academics, about his future, and without a doubt, he would be the same about this.

So, Soichiro didn't feel like he had the right to stand in the way. They'd always given the boy freedom and he used it sparingly. He had a good head on his shoulders, wasn't impulsive, and if he liked this 'Rin' then he had a good reason.

If his intelligence had been in doubt the answer would be different, but it was true that Light didn't need supplemental classes. It was probably better for him to have something of a break before starting college anyway and maybe it would be a good test of character.

* * *

Light was a little surprised by how well his parents took the idea of his quitting cram school, he'd expected some kind of pushback from his father at the very least, but it seemed neither would object.

The next hurdle was personal; he had to get the courage to ask Rin to see him.

It wasn't that he thought she'd reject him, but it was still nerve-wracking. What if she was busy?

He'd looked at Hana's website and the students were kept occupied more often than not. There was time for personal interests, but even those were related to academics. Rin told him of her family's glass working, that even now she spent time as an apprentice of sorts, and that she was working on pieces to sell during the school's yearly open house in the spring.

He didn't think it would be a problem with her school. She would need permission, but he assumed her parents had already signed forms about that sort of thing; otherwise, she couldn't travel off school grounds at all. That left some possible investigation into himself and his family, but with his father's position with the police and his own high academic rankings, it shouldn't be an issue.

Still, he was nervous. All signs pointed to her accepting, but what if she didn't? What if he was wrong and she didn't feel that way at all? What if it was all one-sided on his part?

It was cowardly, but he sent a text message; calling was asking too much.

Five agonizing minutes passed and then she answered.

She was free on Sunday.

 _She was free on Sunday._

* * *

It took Rin five minutes to be sure she wasn't misinterpreting Light's message. Even when she answered she wasn't sure of his meaning. It couldn't be what she was hoping it was, right? Right? That was wishful thinking at best. He was a busy person, always working so hard to keep his grades up! He couldn't be offering to meet her at any time convenient for her. Didn't he go to a cram school on top of studying at home? Surely any day she suggested would already be full of things to be done.

Fortunately, Sunday's were her off day and she assumed the same could be said for him, but maybe he studied then, too. Her own studies were completed during the week with the purpose of having one full day of free time to herself. Maybe Light did that as well?

But, she refused to get her hopes up; until he replied there was no call for excitement. Even if they happened to have a chance to meet it might not _mean_ anything.

And what did she want it to mean anyway?

It was all so ridiculous; she didn't even know what she wanted. She liked him, but that was totally new to her and certainly, the first boy she liked wouldn't be The One.

Well, the first _real_ boy at any rate. Of course, she'd had superficial crushes on celebrities and the like, but those washed-out quickly. It was too easy to see through a contrived persona. She didn't hold it against them, but 'images' were crafted to draw fans in, to buy their loyalty. Rin hated the idea of being bought.

Light wasn't trying to be someone he wasn't, at least not when he was with her. He'd been so honest that it took her off guard, but that was exactly why she started to fall for him. Whatever face he wore at school, maybe even at home, he wasn't hiding his true thoughts when he ran into her.

It was probably an accident, Rin doubted he planned to say such divisive things to a perfect stranger, but it was the reason she couldn't stop thinking about him. What he said was true. Those girls knocked into her on purpose, they weren't the only ones who'd done things like that, and they wouldn't be the last.

Like she'd thought before it was liberating to speak plainly about the facts. People could be jerks. They could be mean and rude and downright nasty, but what made it worse was having to pretend you didn't see it; you had to play fair when they were playing dirty. Make up excuses for bad behavior and wave it off.

'Heightened emotions.'

'An accident.'

'A mistake.'

Yet, the second you called someone out on hypocrisy _you_ became the bad guy.

It was maddening.

Unless they did something horrible nobody was willing to talk about it. The whole incident would be pushed aside as if it was nothing. Matters involving the police were another subject, but even then the majority of the populace tried to ignore it.

It was uncomfortable to think that some people would do awful things simply because they didn't care about the ones getting hurt.

But, they did. No matter what reasoning came up in the media, the 'motives', in Rin's estimation there was never a truly good reason for crime. Other people had difficult lives and didn't turn into murderers or rapists or violent thieves.

When Light sent another text to confirm, and ask her where she wanted to meet, Rin found herself wondering if it was possible to look forward to seeing him more than she already did.


	4. Chapter Three

A/N: Enjoy **Light Without The Dark**! This story updates on Wednesdays.

* * *

Rin was holding her breath. It unquestionably wouldn't fit, she was sure of it. She hadn't worn this skirt since last fall and she hadn't exactly been careful with her diet since then. Overeating? No, but not so healthy.

She may have stopped for fast food once or twice on her way back from the glassworks shop.

Or every day for a whole a week.

If she'd known she was going to meet Light she wouldn't have done it, but she did and now she was positive of her failure even as Mei complained, "You don't gain weight, dummy. Even if you do it goes to the right places."

That was decidedly untrue; her chest was completely average and really that was the best that could be said for all of her. Normal.

Mei didn't agree, but in general, they argued over everything so Rin didn't take her backhanded compliments to heart. It was safer that way. God forbid she let it go to her head; she could end up acting like those made-up girls who'd knocked her down.

Still, for the first time in a long while she was hoping to look her best. Unfortunately, that amounted to lip gloss and nothing else. She wouldn't let Mei near her with makeup and she wasn't confident in her own abilities.

In any case, the school was very strict about things like that. All students were expected to present a wholesome image and raccoon eyes were forbidden.

She wondered when the last time she'd been on a date was, thought it must have been during her first year of middle school. She hadn't been particularly fond of the boy, and she regretted the whole thing later on, but it was expected. Everyone was off in pairs then, of course, she needed to do the same.

As it turned out one of her friends had a crush on him, though Rin hadn't been aware, and rumors of backstabbing spread quick as fire.

After that, Rin put all her focus on study. By then it was time to start exam prep anyway and it made sense, she was aiming for Hana's, but the truth was she didn't want to deal schoolmates anymore.

How could someone you'd been friends with since early childhood misjudge you that way? How could she be blamed for something she didn't know anything about?

Back then it was a terrible mystery and she'd spent more than one night crying over the lost friendship, but she understood now.

That girl knew where the blame lay. She hadn't told the boy she liked him, hadn't given hints to Rin either. There was no one else at fault, but she didn't want to accept her mistakes. Her anger was really directed at herself, yet taken out on Rin.

It was that way for so many people. Upset with their own actions, or lack thereof, they vented on bystanders and all too often those actions went unacknowledged.

That friendship was thoroughly destroyed and so was any hope of another close relationship for Rin. Everyone was held at arm's length, regardless of how long she'd known them.

Her mother said she was born with a 'consistent soul', a person who disliked change and resented it when others forced it on her. When it came to that middle school friendship she accepted the new reality, but then endeavored to keep herself from having to deal with that kind of situation again.

She supposed it was true and that was why this whole Yagami deal was so surprising. It was a huge departure from the usual routine. All her life she'd avoided things like this, but here she was obsessing over how she should dress to meet perhaps the biggest disturbance in her life thus far.

* * *

Casual. But neat. Put together without looking formal.

Why was this so hard?

Getting dressed had never been so distressing! Wanting to look a certain way was more difficult than he'd imagined it would be. But it mattered. This would be his second meeting with Rin, the first planned one, and he couldn't risk messing it up from the start.

"Onii-chan," Sayu flashed double thumbs-up as he made for the front door. "Go get 'em!"

Almost against his will, his younger sister's encouragement calmed his nerves. He wasn't sure what it was, maybe the thousand-watt smile that'd never seemed so sincere, but as he stepped into winter air he thought this 'date' might not go so terribly wrong.

It wasn't far to their meeting spot, a point about halfway between Hana's and his home. The park wasn't quite deserted, a few haggard mothers stood in a group; they'd been convinced by hyperactive children to brave the chill for _ten minutes._

They all knew it would be longer than that.

Rin had yet to arrive, but he was early by design. The last thing he wanted was to make her wait and this gave him an opportunity to calm down; cool air cleared his whirling mind and standing still slowed the wild thumping of his heart.

Everything about this was a first for him. It wasn't that he'd never dated before, but it was all so contrived. He supposed he did have a measure of interest in those girls, but it was hardly worth mentioning and nothing like what he felt now.

It made him wonder what the difference was.

Why was Rin different?

He still hadn't found an answer when she came into view and all thoughts became a vague haze immediately upon realizing she had a dimple in her right cheek. He could hardly think beyond a greeting.

He had an obscure sense of what she wore, a typical winter date outfit if there ever was one, but really he didn't notice the clothes she'd agonized over for so long.

Hours. It took hours to figure out what she should wear because even though she'd had something picked out it suddenly looked absolutely hideous and had to be redone last minute. Now she sported a stylishly short pleated black skirt, white knee-high socks, and dressy maroon blouse along with a jacket that was not-quite-warm-enough-but-looked-good.

It would have stung a little if she'd realized Light didn't notice any of it.

* * *

Walking together was unexpectedly wonderful, yet also incredibly disconcerting. It was different than the first time, when they were going to and from the convenience store. Now they were surrounded by other people, other couples out on dates, and Rin would have thought they all had their own things to be thinking or speaking of, but she felt positive she'd caught snippets of hurried, whispered conversation about _them_.

She was being oversensitive, right? That had to be it. She was just self-conscious and...

"Is it just me or are people looking at us?"

It was hard not to miss a step when Light leaned down to speak softly in her ear, but she didn't. Her feet remained firmly planted on the ground.

"I don't think it's just you," she hissed back, face turning pink with embarrassment. Was her skirt caught up in the back?

As if he'd read her mind his hand was suddenly, almost inappropriately, running down her back and sliding along her waist; nothing was amiss though and so Rin snuck a peak in a shop window, checked their reflections for anything out-of-place, but again there was no call for alarm.

With a shrug Light silently dismissed the issue and she decided to let it go too. She didn't want to spend their very first date worrying about what other people might be thinking. For all she knew this would be the only date.

It was a pessimistic idea that wouldn't leave her. The thought she might mess up, make a fool of herself, remained in the back of her mind. Light was someone of impeccable character and Rin liked to think she held herself to high standards too, but it was hard to judge yourself that way.

Maybe he wouldn't see her as someone he wanted to keep spending time with.

For now, he was holding open the door of a cafe, paying for their drinks and snacks, pulling out a chair for her, and all Rin could think was that she was falling too hard too fast for Yagami, Light.

In her defense, Light was having similar thoughts about her. He'd thought he would enjoy being in her company, wouldn't have asked her out if he didn't, but this was excessive. He kept wanting to touch her. Putting his arm around her waist was suspect at this stage, he'd had an excuse, but anything more would be going too far.

So they sat, quietly eating their separate slices of artisan cakes and silently trying to figure out what their choices meant personality wise.

Light thought Rin's white cake with a cherry-strawberry cream filling might hint at something beyond total innocence, and Rin thought Light's dark chocolate on chocolate gave off a feeling of sophistication, elegance?, and maturity.

They both figured they were reading too much into the situation.

There was a tension, a long moment where neither knew what to say, but it wasn't awkward. Instead, their hands were driven closer together, inching their way across the table until fingers were barely brushing.

It was somehow intimate, in a way neither had ever before experienced.

Also slightly embarrassing, though Light didn't blush as Rin did.

* * *

It was as they were leaving the cafe that It happened. It would make the news for the next week as people tried to piece together exactly _what_ happened and how. It would lead to investigations that couldn't find answers and It was out of this world.

Rin saw It happening first, when Light was closer to the ground and tying her shoe in a gesture so sweet she thought she might get toothache. It was a boy, about their age, running full force down the sidewalk across the street. He had a terrified look on his face, kept throwing horrified glances over his shoulder, knocked into people as if he didn't see them.

"Light," it came out as more of an urgent whisper than she intended. "Light!"

He'd fixed her laces by then, stood quickly and turned to see what she was pointing at.

He saw what she saw, but she didn't see what he saw, and he knew that immediately. Rin saw the boy, a schoolmate he realized, but if she'd seen the _other_ thing, the thing chasing him, she wouldn't have been so calm.

His logical mind kicked into overdrive. The first priority was Rin, but he could tell that _thing_ had a target, one target, and yet it wasn't trying to catch the boy. It was only following him. Scaring him purposely.

And then said boy ran straight into the road, Rin screamed, and Light just managed to grab her in time, pulling her into himself so she didn't see the bloody splatter that became of the body.


	5. Chapter Four

A/N: Enjoy **Light Without The Dark**! This story updates on Wednesdays.

* * *

Remaining bystanders were interviewed by police when they arrived, though most first-hand experiencers ran from the scene in a blind panic. Many were made violently ill by the sight of the corpse. Few had any clear idea of what happened.

Rin and Light were two consulted; their tales matched what others said and provided additional detail.

"He was running from something," she told the policeman. "He kept looking back, almost falling because he couldn't keep his eyes in front of him."

"Did you see anyone following?"

She shook her head with a sigh. "No. He definitely thought something was there, and he was afraid of it, but I didn't see anything."

"What about you, Light?" the officer turned to the Yagami boy, who was well known around the station for all the best reasons.

"No, sir. However, I do know who he was."

That was much-appreciated information because the body was a mangled mess. It was almost unbelievable how chaotic the scene was. Sure it was a truck that hit the victim, but none of the respondents had ever seen anything so gory in a traffic accident. It wasn't as if the vehicle was traveling at an unreasonable speed. Really, there shouldn't have been a death, but it seemed the stars aligned in a very unlucky formation for the deceased.

"Well," he said as he finished taking down notes, "Thank you for the information. It looks like you were on a date?" The reddened cheeks of the girl were confirmation enough. "I advise you try to have a nice time. Accidents happen and we're going to get to the bottom of this one."

* * *

'Accident'.

It wasn't though and he'd lied, but what could be said?

 _What could he have said?_

"A grotesque winged humanoid was chasing him down, sir."

That wouldn't have gone over well. His reputation would make it difficult to dismiss the assertion, especially if he insisted, but that was still unbelievable and there was no one to back up his story. It was better to investigate it on his own, try to find an answer. If it happened, and he had doubts about his ability to find the truth, he would tell his father. The man was an analytical thinker, but if Light had a sound argument he wouldn't automatically dismiss it.

Thinking of it now did nothing.

"Light, this might sound weird, but..."

They'd walked away from the shopping area, trying to leave the upsetting incident behind as so many others did, and even though she wanted to forget it happened, enjoy their date the way the officer said they should, Rin couldn't stop thinking about the absolute terror on the face of the victim.

"...he was running like his life depended on it. He really was. He wasn't paying attention to anything except something behind him and he was terrified of it!"

It didn't make sense. There was nothing there! Was it a drug-induced hallucination?

"He might have been hallucinating."

She nodded in acceptance. That was the answer, wasn't it? If they'd both had the same thought then it had to be right.

Light watched as the cloud passed from her pretty face. It wasn't really a lie; the victim _might_ have hallucinated. He, himself, might have had an off-balance moment. He didn't think so, but it was possible.

Rin didn't need to worry about it whatever the case.

At least that was what he'd decided, before the monstrous thing with wings stood before them and he stopped cold, jerking Rin back when she made to continue forward.

"Hey, Light." Its voice was grating. "You know you own the Death Note, right?"

The Death Note?

The title rang a bell; it was on the black notebook he found at school, the day he met Rin.

This thing was connected to _that_?

"First one to touch a Death Note dropped into the human world gets it. But, it's fine the way it is," It laughed. "This is pretty interesting! It's not like I can force you to use it." It seemed to notice he wasn't alone for the first time. "Eh? Oh," It laughed again. "Is that your girlfriend? She probably thinks you're nuts right about now!" Uproarious laughter that only he could hear. "Anyway, I'ma go tail the kid with the notebook, see what he does next. Hopefully, he'll be more creative with the next one. The chase was entertaining while it happened, but overall pretty boring!"

When it took off into the sky, headed for who knew where, Light could hardly breathe. He almost didn't notice Rin shaking his arm, calling his name in an effort to bring him back from wherever his mind had gone.

She'd noticed. The look in his eyes was terror for a moment, shock the next and he was still stuck there. The fear, though it lasted only seconds, was identical to what she'd seen in the victim's expression.

"Something was there, right?" She couldn't stop herself from asking the second Light returned to the present. "Right? That boy _was_ chased by a thing and you saw it, right?" It sounded insane, of course it was, but she'd always been at least a partial believer in the unknown. More so when she was younger, these days she didn't have time to consider things she couldn't prove, but the inclination remained.

The only question left was whether or not Light would be honest. She wouldn't hold it against him if he wasn't, it was a crazy thought even if she felt sure of it. Who would talk about that? Light was upstanding in every way, probably not someone who took the supernatural seriously.

When he said, "You're right," it made her jump about a mile in the air because she'd half decided she couldn't be; no matter what her childhood imagination thought possible this was real life.

"I saw it," he said. "I saw what was chasing him, but I didn't tell the officer because I know how that sounds. Describing the Thing-" a brief pause, "Shinigami, would make it all the harder to accept."

Even though she heard what Light said it didn't sink in and she was forced to ask, "What did you say it was?"

With a grave tone, he answered, "Shinigami."

A god of death.

"Not something... _simple_? Like a ghost?"

He shook his head and his "Sorry" was sincere.

Ghosts, spirits. She'd never had a reason not to believe in them, she'd never thought people just stopped existing. But, shinigami? That was something different and far more frightening.

"...derstand if you want to end it here-,"

Rin cut him off by grabbing onto his arm with both of hers. "No!" It was almost a shout and she immediately felt foolish, but couldn't find it in herself to take it back. The last thing she wanted was to disengage from this relationship that hadn't even started yet; she felt sure it was senseless to be so invested so quickly, yet it seemed emotions weren't necessarily tied to intelligence. "No," softer this time, more appropriately spoken. "I believe you and even though it's out of this world it doesn't sound impossible, at least not to me."

Especially not when Light said it. She'd realized she would believe him if he told her the moon was made of cheese.

The stupidity of first love was all-encompassing.

* * *

He was persuaded to tell her what It looked like and then to tell her more. To talk about the thing he found on the day he met her, forced himself to remember what he'd read and regret that he hadn't pursued the item more diligently.

"That's not your fault," she consoled. "Who would take that sort of thing with them? I mean, someone did obviously, but not a healthy person."

"The question is who did take it," he muttered. "Kenta, the one in the accident, was something of a bully. His grades were good though and he was too smart to openly harass, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was a student on his bad side."

She nodded slowly. "That makes sense. Someone who was hurt by him, hurt him back. In a much more violent way though. Illegal. Murderous." She pressed her lips together. "This could be really bad."

He thought he understood the notebook a little bit better now, as he thought it over. He'd been surprised at the way he spoke with Rin on that first day, so honest about his feelings regarding people and the way they lived. Quitting cram school was far out of character, too.

The Death Note did something to him. Maybe simply setting eyes on it was enough, but he'd touched it and read it and he was positive it left an impression. If he'd held on to it he might have used it himself.

"It's a thing from another dimension, not made to be used by humans, but I'm sure it has some kind of power over us. _Power_ actually. It offers absolute power and you know what they say about that."

"Absolute power corrupts absolutely," she quoted in response. "The power to kill by simply writing down a name. There's no person on earth who could be unaffected by that, even if they didn't use it. Just knowing it's possible... That could change someone. For better or worse."

He blinked as he realized Rin was speaking of herself. "How has it changed you?"

"I don't know yet," she took a deep breath and straightened her posture. Hands clasped together between her knees.

They sat in the park again, now totally deserted.

She spoke once more, "I kind of think life means more to me now, but I don't know why. I can't tell if it's fear or bravery." She looked to Light. "What about you? What were you like before you touched it?"

Before she knew him.

"Not much different," he answered immediately. "The things I thought weren't always the things I said. I cared more about keeping up appearances than I do now, I guess. It's hard to describe."

She turned his confession over in her mind, remembered how intrigued she'd been by the things he said. "When you first spoke to me I was surprised by how open you seemed," she revealed. "You were telling the unpopular truth, saying things no one else dared to."

"I wouldn't have if I hadn't touched the notebook, I'm sure of that now. It has an ability to draw humans in. Whoever has it," he paused, searching his mind for a likely outcome. "It took a while for him to use it, but now he has and I bet he'll do it again."

Rin privately wondered if _everyone_ who had prolonged contact with a Death Note would use it, even if they'd never had darker thoughts. But, then again, who hadn't? It would tempt anyone and everyone. There was always a person you wished gone, even if just a criminal you didn't know personally but heard tell of.

Murder was wrong and it would be wrong to murder even a murderer in any way outside of the justice system, or during an act of self-defense, but if the power to do it, and get away with it, were dropped in her lap? She couldn't be sure she wouldn't take the opportunity.

"You said he was a bully? One of his usual targets would be the best suspect then, right?"

"Definitely," a nod of agreement. "But it's not so easy considering the supernatural nature of the crime." He ran a hand through his hair, sat back and looked up to the clouded sky. "If you didn't see all of this, would you believe it?"

"Me?" She had to really consider it.

"I mean if I just told this story and today hadn't happened."

"Hm..." It was a difficult question to answer; she wanted to say 'yes', but was that the truth?

Probably not.

She answered with honesty, "I doubt it."

Neither would anyone else.


	6. Chapter Five

A/N: Enjoy **Light Without The Dark**! This story updates on Wednesdays.

* * *

Rin tried very hard not to be distracted as she took end of term tests, but her mind felt far from subjects that now seemed unnecessary. What was arithmetic in the face of such a world-altering revelation? How much could literature matter when shinigami were deciding who should live and die on a whim?

Mei noticed, of course, misattributed it all to Light and Rin allowed the confusion to stand. After all, there was nothing she could say of truth! Just as she'd answered Light the day before, on that ill-fated first date, it wouldn't be believed by anyone who wasn't there to witness it all. Even then, people had an amazing ability to put on blinders & ignore things they didn't want to notice.

Since then she'd sort of come to terms with her new outlook on life, but earlier, once reality set in, she'd been terrified. Faking illness gave her extra time to rest in the morning, though she couldn't afford to miss any tests, and she realized that even though she was aware, nothing really changed.

Shinigami were real before she knew about them and there was no way to know how many people died because of them.

The fact remained that not one single person truly knew how long they had left. No matter how safe you tried to be, no matter which foods you ate or what kind of exercises you did, the end could be right around the corner. It wasn't predictable.

It made her question her own dreams. Was what she wanted enough? In the big scheme of things, considering what she'd learned, shouldn't she aim for more?

But the more she thought about it the stronger her convictions grew. She wanted to live happily, joyfully, and screw what anyone else thought! Why should she spend the prime of her life forcing her way up the corporate ladder? Especially when there was no guarantee she'd make it to the top!

No. That wasn't what she wanted and now, with so much more knowledge, she would no longer feel conflicted about it.

Her next meeting with the guidance counselor, after the day's exams, saw her resolute and a little defiant.

"Doma-san," the counselor sighed, looking over the freshly filled out Aspirations Worksheet. "You should aim higher! You have so much potential. Here," she made to pass varied brochures over the table. "Take a look at these universities. They have wonderful business programs and-"

"With all due respect, ma'am," Rin's voice took on a hard tone. "I know what I wrote and I did it for a reason."

"Of course you did, Rin-san, of course, but your perspective in younger years-"

"Is just fine. Life doesn't last forever, ma'am, and I won't waste mine in classrooms and office buildings."

That was her final word on the subject and, despite the look on the face of her counselor, she took her bag and left.

The feeling of liberation was incredible. All that time she'd felt burdened, wondering if the future she desired was enough, worrying others would look at her askance when they heard she was _just_ a wife, _just_ a mother, but there was nothing _'_ _just'_ about it. They were professions too, maybe the most difficult and important ones in the world.

There was hardly enough time to live when you did everything right.

She would never be ashamed of her dreams again.

* * *

When Light arrived at school the day after the accident he had a plan, one he'd thought over during the wee hours of the morning upon waking far too early.

He had a lot of clues actually, as to the identity of the murderer. He was almost certain the Death Note was picked up by another student; he probably wasn't the only one to see it fall, he'd just gotten to it first. So, someone else in his school was the user. The choice of victim lent another hint. Who would want a bully dead? Someone on the receiving end of hateful treatment. The Shinigami called the person 'he'.

As he'd thought before, when he left the notebook behind, only someone with issues would try using it, so that was something else to look for. A person not quite right. It could be in the way they looked at everyone else, the way they moved. Something off.

He'd tried to piece the puzzle together to no avail, he needed a closer look at his classmates. Light never paid much attention to his peers, they were irritating at best, and now his investigation would be hindered for it, but he could at least try to find a few people who fit his profile.

There was more to it, of course, some subjective generalizations. Like the fact that someone really _did_ die as a result of using the Death Note, the appearance of a shinigami; all things considered he thought he'd taken it pretty well, but most people wouldn't.

He thought there were two possibilities:

Either the criminal would be terrified of his own shadow for a while or he would act with bravado.

Light thought the initial reaction would be one of fear, later followed by confidence if the guilty made it that far. If there was word of a suicide he would assume _that_ was the murderer.

But, the students of Daikoku Private Academy weren't weak minded.

His biggest worry was that this person would be smarter about killing in the future. The first murder was a stupid one, written without any expectation of seeing it become reality. Killing someone close to you? Of course, the first suspects would be those who had a bad relationship with the dead!

But then he had to remind himself that no one saw Kinomoto Kenta's death as a murder. To everyone else, it was nothing more than a horrific accident.

Maybe it was fate that pulled to him the Death Note. If he hadn't touched it he wouldn't have seen the shinigami and no one would know the truth.

* * *

Two days after Kinomoto's death a second Daikoku Private Academy student died in a likewise bizarre accident.

Light and his classmates were subjected to a special assembly on the importance of personal safety.

* * *

When a third student passed on Thursday, once more under questionable circumstances, rumors of a curse began circulating within the school and it wasn't long after that news reports began citing anonymous student sources who critiqued the characters of the deceased.

"'I'm not trying to speak ill of the dead'," quoted a reporter on the evening news. "'But each of those lost, as sad as it is, were known for being bullies'." The shot shifted to another camera angle. "And we have similar statements from oth-"

Light saw the broadcast in his bedroom as he looked over notes for an upcoming test.

Rin saw the broadcast in her dormitory common area along with various schoolmates. It worried her; she didn't think Light would be targeted because of bullying, but whoever was using that thing, the Death Note, was going unchecked. For now, she thought Light safe enough, but what if the killer started murdering people they just didn't like?

Light was the top of his school, a position easy to be jealous of.

She supposed it was a good thing he'd always presented himself as a hard worker. Despite knowing him for so short a time, she could see how intelligent he was. He was probably the type of person who didn't need to do all that studying, but if others saw him that way? That was a recipe for envy.

Based on reports it seemed the writer must have been pushed around by the murdered, yet couldn't that anger grow to encompass more people? How long before bystanders, people who saw but didn't step in, found their names on the hit list? Teachers?

Worse, there was no telling what kind of psychological impact this was having on the user. The Death Note was a supernatural object, Light spoke of a 'change' and she'd experienced something like that in response to finding out it existed, so what kind of difference was in store for the user?

Killing people couldn't leave you unblemished; your mental and emotional states had to be impacted and, considering this person thought they would never be caught, that made for a dangerous mindset.

It made her nervous for Light. She couldn't imagine he'd ever been mean-spirited, but wasn't it all down to perception? If this person was warped enough, or _became_ warped enough, to see the successes of others as attacks on themselves...

"Dangerous," she murmured. This whole thing was dangerous. Frightening.

Rin always thought herself sort of brave, assumed she'd be the one to run into danger to drag someone else out of it, but maybe she wasn't. She didn't know why she'd thought she would be that person. She couldn't help thinking about Kinomoto running into the street and the way she froze, unable to move a muscle. Pointing at the boy running for his life until Light took her into his arms, shielding her from the messy sight of death.

She didn't try to stop him. Didn't shout except in fear.

She wasn't brave, but she wanted to help Light anyway.

Despite those thoughts, she didn't know how. She believed what he told her about the Death Note, but what could she do with that information? There was no one else to tell; who would believe it? Even if they did, who could solve a mystery like this? There were clues certainly, but the weapon was supernatural and untraceable.

Obviously, Light would have far more chance to observe than she, but that was another worry. What if the killer realized someone was inching closer? It would be nothing to take Light's life and then he'd really never be caught. She didn't have any confidence she could figure out the truth on her own.

Who did a person turn to when they needed a mystery solved?

"Detective..." she muttered, typing in the term. It was too broad, she already realized that, but she didn't know where else to start. She'd taken up residence in the library, a natural place to find her on any given afternoon.

She looked through the police website, didn't find anything she thought helpful, and turned to a search engine. Now she was inundated with listings for private eyes in Tokyo and surrounding areas, more than she'd expected, and yet not one of them seemed right to her.

They were credited with finding pets and revealing cheating spouses, but that was about the extent of it. Nothing relevant to what she needed, whatever that even was. She didn't know what kind of credentials would make someone qualified to get to the bottom of this insanity.

Her next track was looking at articles detailing serious crimes, things big enough to get national attention and then international when nothing very serious happened in Japan. Of course, there was an occasional confounding murder, but it was all figured out in the end. Cold cases remained unsolved, but they didn't seem supernatural to her.

And then she noticed something. Slogging through global news pieces she realized the most baffling cases revolved around three detectives.

Headings declared, "FINALLY SOLVED!" and "FAMILIES FIND PEACE WITH MYSTERY SOLVED!" but they were all done between a few. Eraldo Coil, Deneuve, and L.

L was only mentioned a few times, yet it left the biggest impression on her. It was part of a blurb, a story out of the United States, about a psychotic killer's murder spree in Los Angeles. Little was said of L, just mentioned as if in passing, but the story was bizarre and its strangeness made her think, maybe, this 'L' wouldn't immediately pass their tale by.

In that story, he was billed the World's Greatest Detective.

The tiny flare of expectation was snuffed when she could find no contact information, but the idea that perhaps police organizations would know of L occurred to her and she sent a text message to Light asking if he'd ever heard of L, the best detective in the world.

* * *

"L," he wracked his brain but came up empty. He'd never heard any mention of a detective called L and he quickly replied to Rin with a promise to ask his father about the pseudonym as soon as possible.

He debated how to bring it up, knew his father would be swamped with work because another student was dead in a 'mishap' and even the police were finding it suspicious now. Why students from so prestigious a school? No matter how accidental the deaths appeared on the surface, people were starting to question the coincidences.

On top of everything else, a teacher passed away suddenly due to a heart attack. Talk of a curse was sweeping the school and beyond, fueled by news pieces with headlines like, 'Daikoku Private Academy Plagued by Misfortune'.

They weren't exactly wrong; it _was_ related to a supernatural element under the control of one with a grudge. Perhaps it was right to call it a hex. A very directed, easily harnessed jinx leading to the deaths of anyone the caster had a disagreement with. There were repercussions though, he remembered what the Death Note said; a human author would be barred from entering Heaven or Hell upon death.

Light didn't know what kind of existence that left, but it was surely a special kind punishment, one the current user didn't seem to care about. This person was blinded by hatred, perhaps unable to think of the future at all.

The idea of it was terrifying. The power of the Death Note, to commit murder without leaving a trace, was corrupting the psyche of its user. How long before it all caught up to them? Would it? What would happen if they expanded their killings?

He could see how it might be possible to rule the world using the Death Note for 'good'.

Yet, he didn't think this person would do that. They were too selfish to make it work. All these deaths were about righting personal wrongs, very limited in scope. The question was what the murderer would do when all the people they despised were gone. Really, it was impossible to predict without knowing who the user was.

He had his suspicions. There were a few students he thought capable, but knowing the extra power of the Note made it hard to decide. Even someone like himself, someone who would never think to descend to such atrocities, could be impacted by the thing.

Lately, he'd recognized more changes in himself.

Like thoughts on how the Note _could_ be used. How _he_ could use it. The way the _world_ could be changed.

Though, perhaps because he'd not been in contact with it for long, those ideas always faded. He saw the error in it, remembered the warning about the price, and sometimes Rin was a factor as well, but not always.

"Rin," he murmured her name. He was thinking about her too, in those darker moments that crept upon him so stealthily. Thinking of making a world where she would always be safe. But he knew that was impossible; accidents could still happen and then what would he do? Kill for revenge? It would solve nothing.

That was the crux of the matter. Killing all these people didn't change what they'd already done. It didn't fix any emotional or mental damage they might have inflicted. Seeing them dead might bring temporary relief, but what came after that? There was no chance for reconciliation, no way to deal with words that could never be spoken.

This wasn't justice. Retaliation wasn't justice. Considering the effect of using the Death Note, damned to a place of mystery, the end result might be worse for the one who used it.

He shook his head. Whoever had the Death Note wasn't ruled by logic anymore, if they ever were. Either they weren't thinking that far ahead or they'd decided they didn't care.

'They'. At this point he was near positive the slayer was male, but there was still a remote possibility in the form of a mousy girl in a lower class. Very slim chance it was her; if she was bullied it was by other young women and so far all the dead were of one physiological build.

Through all of this one truth stood apart from the chaos:

 _He knew next to nothing about his classmates._

Friends. He supposed he'd not had any in a long time. On the rare occasion he spent a day out he found himself counting the minutes until he could leave their company. Once in a while, a brief moment of genuine enjoyment would be had, but largely it was irritating.

They were little more than acquaintances and that made it difficult to guess who might be the culprit. He was keeping an eye out for odd behavior, but so far no one stood out. If he had to hazard a guess he would say it _wasn't_ anyone in his class. Maybe not one of the oldest students at all. It was hard to imagine someone young as the perpetrator, but then again youth often led to short-sighted stupidity.

A young male student, bullied and out for revenge. He could see the shinigami, he'd used it in his first death plot. He knew the price of using the Death Note, maybe didn't understand the significance.

Who would he kill next?


	7. Chapter Six

A/N: Enjoy **Light Without The Dark**! This story updates on Wednesdays.

 **Also another note!**

I'm looking for someone who has time, is a great artist & wants to draw a webtoon… I've got writing skillz, but z.e.r.o. perspective when it comes to drawing! This is just for fun, maybe we'd start a pat-reon for our team & story(ies) at some point, but if you're interested then message me for more information! We'd have a lot to do including choosing hosting services, working out art direction, deciding which story to start with, etc, but the stories themselves are well on their way!

* * *

Rin tried not to worry, burying herself in work at the artisan's shop helped, and in her quest to be normal she churned out more pieces than she would have thought possible. During that time she also made pieces for Light's family members because she had something new to be concerned about:

Meeting his parents and younger sister.

He brought up the idea so casually, carefully, that at the time she felt reassured by his logic and didn't have a problem agreeing to see them all during winter break. In the hours following her acceptance, however, panic set in.

This wasn't some little thing! This was meeting _his family_. Wasn't that a big deal? Didn't that mean something?

She blew out sun catchers, ornament-like in their round shape they would toss colored light throughout the rooms they hung in, and hoped his family would like her handmade gifts. She also planned to bake, which wasn't her strong suit but with the decision to chase her dreams came the desire for domestic dominance.

If she was going to be a homemaker then she would be the ultimate homemaker.

Thoughts of that nature made her wonder if she should warn Light about her plans for the future. Obviously, it wasn't a given that he'd be part of it and if he wasn't then it would be better to end it now. Letting herself get too invested would do no good; they both deserved to know how the other saw their own futures.

With that in mind, she asked to see him at the park where they talked about shinigami on the fateful day of Sunday, December 3rd. That was only a week ago.

It was hard to believe. In the last seven days her life was rocked almost off its foundations when she learned about a hidden part of their world, she'd fallen hard for the number one student in the country, and today might be the end of their relationship because she was dead set on breaking societal norms, but he might not be.

So, she wanted to get it out of the way. Before she met his family, before she fell even further, this discussion needed to happen. Most people would consider it far too soon to speak of the future. At this point you were supposed to be worrying about the second date, not preparing to talk about what you wanted your life to look like in five years. This wasn't the time to play the long game; they weren't even officially a couple yet. People waited months before bringing these topics into conversation.

But, she couldn't wait that long. She didn't want to love him only to learn he couldn't love her back. It was better to find out, sooner rather than later, if their visions were too different.

Like before he was already waiting when she arrived. This morning was colder than the last and she'd tried not to agonize over her outfit, the oversized sweater was covered a by a coat anyway, but it was still a source of some anxiety. She really did like him, a lot, and she wanted to look at least presentable even as she feared this would be their last meeting.

When Light offered her his hand and then tucked it into his pocket along with his, she almost died. It was too much. How could he be so shameless?!

"You wanted to talk, right?" he said as they wandered, passing by the bench they'd sat upon seven days back. "That's usually the kiss of death. Are we even technically dating yet?"

"No. We're not." She pulled her hand away from him and bit her lip, moving to stand before him. "But that's why I think _now_ is better than later."

He folded his arms across his chest, his stance was a hint defensive. "For what?"

It was...embarrassing. Not easy to say. "To talk about the way I see my future. About how you see yours. We should do it now. If we don't align then at least we'll know."

"Oh," realization dawned and he shifted, took a step closer, reached out and took her hand again. "Well, I've always planned on going to university for criminal justice-"

"Sorry," she apologized for interrupting. "The thing is, it's not you I'm worried about. Not exactly. It's me."

"What about you?" His hands were on her shoulders now. "Are you...okay? Are you sick or-?"

"No! No, I'm not ill or anything. Sorry," another apology. "This is coming out all wrong." She looked away, lips pressed together in a thin line as she considered how to tell him all about her eccentric hopes for the future. "It's just awkward! Really, super awkward!"

Rin didn't see his smile, she'd covered her face as it turned tomato red. He gave her a moment, but when she didn't continue joked, "Why? Are you aiming to be a thief?"

He pried her hands away as she shook her head, noticed she was fighting back a smile even as she blushed.

"Of course not!"

"Then it can't be that bad. You're not trying to be a criminal, right?"

"No, but when I told the guidance counselor you'd have thought I was," she murmured bitterly. "It was after exams. Everyone had meetings to discuss what track they wanted to follow and I heard all kinds of comments about joining big companies or going into teaching, you know, all the standard stuff. But then there's me..."

"And?" he prompted when she paused again.

"...And I don't want any of that."

"What do you want then?" He searched her face for a hint, but all he saw was trepidation. "Really, Rin. Whatever it is you can just tell me."

She drew a deep breath, liked the way he said her name so nonchalantly, as if he'd called her that for years. Why was it so easy to be with him?

"I told myself I wasn't going to be ashamed of it, it's just hard to say," she explained hurriedly. "I know there's nothing _wrong_ with it, but it's weird nowadays. Girls my age, even though we all still think about getting married someday it's not at the top of the list. It's always _after_ college, _after_ years of working, _after_ getting promotions and saving money and making connections and-" She looked away again, then resolutely trained her eyes on his. "After finding out about the Death Note... I decided I didn't care. Before that... I had this idea that I needed to do all that too, that if I didn't I was wasting myself or something, but not now. For me... All of those things would be the waste." She took a step back, out of his grasp. "What I want is to be married and have a house with a yard. I want to have children while I'm still young and I want to be home with them. I want to bake and cook and clean and do laundry and have dinner parties. That's what I want." She didn't know why her eyes watered, there was no reason to cry. "I don't want to spend years in the rat race like everyone else," arms raised and hands balled into fists, held close to her chest. "I don't have a big dream of saving the world," her head was shaking and words wavered. "I'm really stupid, aren't I? Everyone says I'm smart and that I should do something _more_ , even Mei is confused by it, but I don't want to! I-"

Rin's devolving speech was cut off when Light pulled her into a tight hug; full-blown tears fell when he stroked her hair, the comforting gesture brought out a side of her she didn't know still existed. The need to be consoled, to have someone to hold onto, she'd thought herself long past those necessitates. She hadn't behaved this way since childhood. Yet somehow, with Light, she felt like she couldn't help crying; her hands clutched the back of his jacket and he only held her closer.

"Did you think I wasn't going to like you anymore, once you told me?" he questioned as her sobs died down. "Is this an indictment on my character or something?"

"No!" All he could see of her was black hair as she shook her head and her voice was muffled. "I'm afraid we don't match! Who talks seriously about getting married before they're out of high school anymore? Or anything even close? This is a weird conversation to be having right now!"

She looked up at him, eyes rimmed red and nose pink.

"I've only known you for a week! Why am I even thinking about this at all? It's like I'm trying to scare you away and you should leave me. Now! Do it now before I like you any more than I already do because this is _craz-_ "

He kissed her.

* * *

Dazed. Adorably dazed. That was the only way to describe her expression.

Then sapphire eyes closed once more. She stood a tiny bit taller, lips slightly puckered, and he leaned down to press his mouth to hers again.

It wasn't that he saw fireworks or stars or any of those cliché things. It wasn't like that, but it wasn't like any kiss he'd had before either. There were a few, distributed after dates when he felt pressured to act like he had more feelings than he did, and none of them felt like this one.

He wanted to keep kissing her, couldn't stop himself from giving her peck after peck after peck. Just one more, only one more, and he would pull away or _she_ would because they were in public.

But it was cold and early and no one was around.

A deeper kiss, longer, and it was even harder to end it there but he did. The sight of her hooded eyes undid his resolve and he held her face still to kiss her again. Her arms were around his neck, fingers in his hair, tongue sweeping across his-

"Ahem."

She froze, pulled away, and immediately pressed her face into his chest. He could practically feel her embarrassment bleeding through his coat, sweater, and into his skin.

The interrupter was an elderly man on a stroll, the woman with him, Light assumed, was his wife; they looked more amused than anything. Nothing more was said, though the man winked and that caused a tinge of darker red to appear.

Inappropriate. He knew it was improper, but he didn't feel bad for doing it. The only regret he had was being caught.

Rin.

He looked down, again all he could see was the top of her head, yet even that was cute.

She thought she sounded crazy, but if she was then so was he. She wasn't the only one thinking of impractical futures; he'd had more than one hour of delirium with her at the center of his thoughts. Unrealistic imaginings of what it might be like to always be with her, to go home and meet her at the door.

As Rin said it was too early for thoughts like that, it'd been a week! Not six months. Not even _a_ month. Seven days. They met under normal enough circumstances, their first date was a literal wreck, but none of that mattered to his delusional mind.

He couldn't be making plans like that! No one did that. They weren't even out of high school yet. On the cusp of graduation, yes, but university loomed ever closer and Rin was a full year behind. Weren't there milestones they were supposed to meet? There was a schedule to things like this. It didn't happen all at once.

" _Why am I even thinking about this at all?"_

He'd asked himself the same question.

" _It's like I'm trying to scare you away..."_

Most people would find it strange to discuss such serious topics so soon, but that wasn't how he felt about it. He understood why Rin brought it up. She didn't want to pursue a relationship that wouldn't last.

" _...this is craz-"_

Crazy. She was right about that. Anyone else would think so, too. Anyone would say they were sinking too deep too fast, but he didn't want to stop. What was crazy compared to shinigami? Compared to a notebook of death in the hands of a vengeful high schooler? Wanting what she did, to be married and a mother and domestic, there was nothing wrong with that. If they were being objective and honest others would agree, but adults always had a preconceived notion of what young people should do. Past, present or future, people would have expectations.

The path was laid out and they were supposed to follow it.

It was off to college or immediate entry to the working world. It was even harder on Rin to buck the trend, considering her pricey education. It was no wonder she felt so conflicted.

But in the end, she was honest with him, afraid of feelings she didn't understand and worried he wouldn't reciprocate. Knowing she'd basically set herself up to be hurt was heart-wrenching.

"Rin," he pushed her back so he could see her face. "You didn't really think you could scare me away that easily, did you?"

She searched his face. "Actually..." She looked down and pointer fingers poked at one another. "Yes."

His sigh was exaggeratedly exasperated. "Well, it didn't work."

She covered her cheeks with her hands as she blushed and nodded with a tiny, "Hm."

"If you're crazy, then I must be too. Rin," He waited until she was looking up at him. "I've wanted to go into criminal justice since I was young. In the spring I'll be starting at To-Oh and you'll still be in high school, so, for now, we should wait, but after that-"

He let the sentence hang, forced her to lose patience and ask urgently, "After that?"

"After that," another elongated paused to see how long she could hold out before making a sound to spur him on. "People will still think we're pretty crazy, but at least they'll think it took us longer than a week to decide to get married."

Bright blue eyes were wide as saucers.

"Rin," he pressed into another quick kiss and confessed, "I love you."

* * *

The words rattled around in her brain.

"Do you want a ring now?"

 _I love you_.

"Commercials push massive diamonds. Is that what you want?"

His tone was teasing, but even though she heard him, understood what he was saying, she was too stunned to answer. Her mouth was hanging open in shock, but when he took the opportunity to plant another kiss she returned to reality.

"I- I love you too!" It was all she could think to say and she instantly flushed. "I mean...um-"

He saved her from having to say more. "I know." One more kiss and then their foreheads rested against one another. "But, let's try to keep it between us for a while."

She nodded in agreement. That was definitely for the best; like she'd said, and he agreed, it was crazy.

"It's only been a week," she muttered.

He pulled back and took her hand again, led her to the bench and together they sat. An arm made its way around her shoulders and she rested her head on his, blushing all the while.

"Just a week," he said. "But it feels much longer."

"Well, considering all the things that have happened, the deaths and everything, it's like months of events were crammed into a few days." She thought for a moment and then added, "This is something I thought of yesterday and I'm not sure it makes sense, but nothing about that notebook does so..."

"What?"

"I'm wondering if knowing it exists and not wanting it, if touching it but not using it, can bless a person. Like, the opposite of the punishment attached to exploiting it."

"Hm," he took a moment to consider it. "I don't know. I wouldn't say you're wrong, like you said the whole thing is unbelievable to begin with. If there's a curse for using it, the equal blessing for _not_ using it would make as much sense as anything. And, that wouldn't be something a Shinigami needs to know so it might not be written in the rules. That's an interesting idea.

"If it's true that would explain why I met you right after rejecting it, even though I picked it up I still left it behind. I won't lie, I felt compelled to take it, but the distraction took my attention."

She shrugged. "It doesn't really matter I guess. I don't even know why I thought of it."

"No, I think it might," he was intrigued. "That would mean whoever made it had some kind of sense of justice. With the Death Note, you can target anyone and they have no way to avoid dying, but if you _don't_ use it for that purpose you're favored? That's something to think about."

"I don't know," she straightened and eyed him dubiously. "Either way it's a supernatural object. Does it matter if we know how it works or not?"

"Right now we think it was made for Shinigami, but what are they? Maybe that's what happens when it's used. If you can't go to Heaven or Hell after killing with it, then what?"

She frowned. "I guess... You'd end up somewhere else?"

"Right. But where? Your soul or spirit is too damaged to fit where it should, so it goes on to become something else."

"You mean," she struggled with the implications. "Shinigami might be _people_? People who used a Death Note and then... That's the curse? They have to keep using it forever?"

"We don't know anything about their world. If that shinigami comes back I'll ask it about where it resides."

"But if they _were_ people, then the first shinigami was human once. Wouldn't that mean the Death Note wasn't made for shinigami? If that's the case then it was made for humans!"

"Exactly. Either to use, which is wrong even if you have the opportunity, or not use, which is right and the harder path to take."

"That's-" her head was spinning. "I didn't ask you out today for this," she groaned. "This wasn't supposed to be a philosophical discussion!"

His laugh was luminous. "Sorry, but your idea is interesting. Anyway, what you did ask me out for is already taken care of. Speaking of that, I wasn't joking. What kind of ring do you want?"


	8. Chapter Seven

A/N: Enjoy **Light Without The Dark**! This story updates on Wednesdays.

 **Also another note!**

I'm looking for someone who has time, is a great artist & wants to draw a webtoon… I've got writing skillz, but z.e.r.o. perspective when it comes to drawing! This is just for fun, maybe we'd start a for our team & story(ies) at some point, but if you're interested then message me for more information!

* * *

Flustered. Every time their conversation came to mind she lost all sense of what she'd been doing.

"Rin? Helllooo? Earth to Rin?"

"What?" she jumped. "Sorry." Again. But not really.

Ever since the talk with the guidance counselor she and Mei had been distant. It wasn't the same between them anymore. It wasn't that they weren't friends or that they'd argued, but it seemed Rin's direction made a difference in the way people viewed her.

It wasn't just Mei. She wasn't sure how it happened, conversations with counselors were supposed to be private no matter the topic, but it wasn't like her situation was the only one talked about. Everyone knew so-and-so was aiming for _this_ top university or headed for _that_ agency.

The problem was that her ambitions weren't in line with everyone else's.

No one said anything to her face, they were taught to be tactful, but they looked at her askance, wondering why she was getting this expensive education just to stay home once it was over.

She didn't care. At first, it was upsetting, but now that Light knew, and he'd basically proposed to her, the questioning glances weren't troubling. She was just going ahead with her newly laid plans to become the supreme housewife.

"How many are you planning to make exactly? Like, are you opening a bakery or...?"

"Shut up," she muttered. Maybe she'd gone overboard with the baking, but at least she knew she could follow directions. The endeavor wasn't as hopeless as she'd feared and cooking was easier. "I'm going for variety is all."

"Right. It's not like you couldn't make your mind or anything." Mei munched on a peanut butter cookie. "At least they're good, you can impress your boyfriend-of-ten-day's parents with your skills."

Ten days. That wasn't long at all; she knew that to anyone else this would look like rushing, but it wasn't. They didn't know the full story, never would, and that was okay. She didn't need their approval.

"It'll be a few weeks by the time I meet them. It's not until New Years so-" she paused. "That's a month."

The sun catchers were already safely packed with bubble wrap in festive boxes decorated with ribbon. The cookies would be freshly baked and carefully packaged the day before the visit.

"And you're the one who shunned my romantic inclinations! What kind of justice is this?! Where's my boyfriend?"

"Seems your knight in shining armor took a wrong turn," Rin laughed.

"Ha-ha-larious."

"Anyway, what time will you have for a relationship? You're taking all the hardest subjects next year and then going on to do the same in university."

"That's because-!"

"Hey! Don't be defensive. I'm not accusing you of anything. I know you're aiming high."

Mei sighed. "I know, sorry. It's not you...I mean, it kind of is, but not like... _bad_. It's not your fault. It's just," she hesitated. "I know you're right. I'm setting myself up, aren't I? I say I want romance, but I'm not going for it. I'm headed in the opposite direction." She sat heavily on the bar stool beside the countertop. "I won't have time to be in a serious, committed relationship with school."

"Mei-" Rin didn't know what to say, there could be no honest refute. That was all true. "It's up to you, you know? What you do in the end. It's your life."

"You say that, but I'm not like you," a soft admission. "How you made your choice and stuck with it. I saw your schedule for next year. All those domestic classes. I don't even know where to start," she snorted. "I'm in advanced everything, heading toward a cushy office in a big building. Will I have time for romance then? Probably not."

Lips pursed. "Like I said, in the end, it's you. That's what I had to realize for myself. Just me telling you won't change your mind or anything, you have to understand on your own, but I had a moment when life seemed really precious all of a sudden. Too precious for me to do something just because everyone else is or because people would judge me in a negative way." She put a hand on her friend's back. "It all depends on how you feel about it. No one can make this kind of choice for you and you never know, love could grow in an office, too."

* * *

Mei left soon after the revealing talk, citing the need to think things through, and Rin was left to herself in the extensive test kitchens of Hana's. Everything was professional grade; there were a few students who did plan to become chefs or bakers and they were the ones who used this building most frequently. Everyone took a round of basic home economics, but their classes were more encompassing.

She'd be going back to basics next school year, forgoing advancing many of her core subjects in favor of a myriad of household related classes. Cooking and baking, interior decorating, arithmetic geared toward real-world applications. She was even dropping glass working to pursue flower arrangement and a crafts class. Health and nutrition would add to the mix along with an early childhood course and another round of home economics.

Her schedule called for less intensive study, as these sort of subjects weren't generally favored in the combination she was taking them, and with her break period, she planned to learn more about things not described. A particular subject of interest was household cleaning products. Boring to anyone else, but she enjoyed the idea of homemade, natural cleaners. She'd never liked the harsh smells associated with chemicals and no matter how many germs they purported to kill she just couldn't accept them as safe. How many kitchen cleansers were supposed to be wiped away before food met the surfaces? How many people even realized that was part of the directions? Why clean the same spot twice?

Quite literally she was the only one thinking of that. No one else in Hana's was on the same track. All her classes would be filled with girls headed toward the working world. Some wanted to break into the fashion industry, others would be professional decorators or teachers themselves.

"Isn't that what wives and mothers are though?" she asked aloud. "All of those things combined." And counselors, chefs, doctors. It was no easy task.

That was a thought that kept her going through the weeks. Even as others gained enough curiosity to ask her about her choices, even when her explanations didn't always satisfy them, it was alright. She was headed toward a job just as worthy of praise as any of them.

It was a topic she spoke to Light about and he wholeheartedly agreed. In fact, it made him greater appreciate the work his own mother did. He supposed it was a common failing of children, not truly acknowledging the skills of their parents, but his talks with Rin brought his own mother's employment into hyper-focus. The house was always well kept, they had dinner at the same time every night, she brought snacks to his room while he studied.

There were so many things he'd taken for granted.

He said, "Thank you" with more feeling now, mentioned how much he appreciated it when she did something unexpected.

He knew she noticed, it embarrassed her, but he also saw how happy it made her. Really, he couldn't imagine life without his mother.

It made him think of what the future could be. Rin was adamant about where her path would lead and the more he thought about it the more he liked the picture she painted. He could see it too, the way their future might unfold.

Now he wanted it. More than anything he wanted it.

With her.

Her.

Lately, she was all he could think about; it was a struggle to concentrate on anything else. Knowing his actions would have an impact on her kept him grounded when it came to school, but otherwise, he had a difficult time thinking of anything that wasn't related to Rin.

He cared less for classmates than ever before and, at least for a while, the string of deaths had stopped so the worry was further back in his mind. After the teacher's heart attack no one else died.

The end of the year, the coming shift in schooling, was a likely cause and it made him think the Death Note user might be a senior. Someone getting nervous about his grades, needing to focus on school again, after losing himself to the high of killing, so he could make it into a good university and keep his family from suspecting something was wrong.

If that was the case then this person might be more harried than usual, but many students were on edge these days so that wasn't much of a clue.

In any case, he didn't think himself a target. He was well liked by all, they thought he worked far harder than he did, and he had no enemies. When someone spoke to him he was as polite as ever and, per Rin's request, he was careful to keep interactions sympathetic.

"Be concerned about them," was her order. "No matter who it is, no matter how asinine the issue. You don't have to be really invested or anything, just don't let anyone think you don't care."

It was the easiest, safest route; compassion was simple but effective and that was what the bullied lacked.

On another note, he thought this might bring the killer out of the woodwork. It all depended on the mental state, but if they wanted someone to confide in, someone to trust, he might end up being that person.

He sort of hoped _not_ actually. The idea of coming in contact with the Death Note again was unappealing and a bit worrisome. He wasn't sure what he'd do; would he be tempted to use it? He could be. The question was whether or not he'd see it through and honestly, he didn't trust himself.

That thing was powerful. Being able to kill anyone as long as you knew their name... He could get rid of criminals with it.

Light shook his head vigorously and muttered, "Murder is wrong. I'd be no better than them."

But it was all too effortless to fall into that line of thinking.

"Rin... wouldn't forgive me."

Yet even that wasn't enough to put the idea from his mind entirely. He thought it might always be there, lurking, no matter how many days passed or how content he was. The desire to use the Death Note would never leave him.

He was resolute, but the problem was that might be overruled; if ever he had the opportunity to use it, would he be able to look past the rationality of ridding the world of evil? He knew the punishment for writing a name in the Death Note and he didn't want to face that, but if he had the chance he might do it anyway.

In any case, it wasn't something he wanted to obsess over. The less he thought about the Death Note, the better.

* * *

Something odd was happening in Japan. There'd been a number of bizarrely macabre deaths among students from a particular school. Accidents, or so it seemed at first. Now the public spoke of curses.

"L, there have been a significant number of pings in Tokyo. I've partially traced the origins. Someone, likely a student given the time stamps for the searches, in the Hana's School for Girls is trying to find information about 'L'."

It seemed he would be heading to Asia.


	9. Chapter Eight

A/N: Enjoy **Light Without The Dark**! This story updates on Wednesdays.

―

" _Light," her voice was little more than a soft moan as he recaptured her lips with his own, drowning in her kiss._

 _Her hands ran up his chest, buttons all undone, and his moved along the smooth expanse of her leg as it hitched around his waist._

 _Her shirt was gone, lost to the carpeted floor, and he massaged a lace covered breast, pinching a hardened peak, while plunging his tongue into her mouth, swallowing each and every noise she made..._

He woke with a wild gasp, lay still trying to shake himself from the dream. A first of it's kind. It was bound to happen someday, kind of strange it hadn't before, but Light supposed he'd never had someone he wanted to be with.

He'd never given himself much time for thoughts of that nature; usually, his dreams were school-related, utter nonsense, or some mixture of both. Rarely were they any kind of serious and certainly nothing like the one he'd just woken from.

Slightly unnerving, but not unexpected. Ever since the heated, embarrassingly interrupted kiss he couldn't stop thinking about her. Wanting her.

Their whole conversation was crazy. Wonderful. Insane. How could they be seriously discussing marriage like it was a done deal? That wasn't how things worked. They were supposed to date for months before even considering an engagement and then they'd wait until they were properly settled into adult life.

But who had time for all that?

He sighed and rolled over, arm beneath his head. It was too early in the morning to be thinking about life, death, and shinigami.

Honestly, he'd much rather dream of Rin.

―

L arrived in Japan on Sunday, December 17, 2006.

―

She couldn't help staring into the building. She'd never set foot inside Victoria's Secret, but groups of giggly girls were entering and exiting rapidly, adults were in out at a more leisurely pace, and she'd been thinking about Light lately and-

"Are we going in or what?"

She jumped at the sound of Mei's voice, shook her head as her heart calmed. "No way."

"Oh come on! You obviously want to! That's totally normal. You've got a boyfriend now and, duh, you'll move in that direction eventually."

"He's about to start college, I'm still in high school, so that's not a very... _smart_ risk to be taking."

Eyes rolled, "Whatever. That doesn't mean you can't start preparing." She grabbed Rin's arm and pulled open the door. "You like preparation, right? Being ahead of the curve? Let's go!"

"Are you out of your mind?! Don't you find it weird to be shopping for lingerie _for_ me? Especially when I don't even want to do it!"

"It's not weird, you _do_ want to you're just embarrassed, and I'm helping out a less experienced friend so it's a good deed." They were inside by then, Rin red as a tomato as the implications settled in her mind. "You want to be a housewife? You'll need to keep your husband happy at home." A horrified gasp was ignored. "He'll drop dead at the sight of you, trust me. We're doing this."

"What if I don't want to be a widow?!" A horror-stricken whisper.

They were on a school approved day out. Every month the students of Hana's were released to the world for the purpose of replenishing their stocks of things like socks and deodorant. During that time they were allowed to spend their money as they wished, so it wasn't technically against school rules, but it still felt scandalous.

"Oh my gawd! Look at this! You have to have it! He'll die!"

Thirty minutes later and Rin felt like she'd gone through all her spending money. Purchases were held in discreet bags, buried among less shocking items, and she was trying very hard not to burn down to ashes.

"Calm down, Rin," Mei hit her companion on the back. "It's fine! Normal and fine. In fact, it's kind of unusual you're so-"

The words were cut off as a young man with glasses, perhaps Light's age Rin guessed, knocked his shoulder into Rin's as he hurried past. Nothing in her grasp was dropped, but he lost hold of a notebook. Black, she noticed, and when she bent down to pick it up he snatched it away.

That was a little strange but she apologized anyway. "I'm so sorry, are you alright?"

His silent nod was jerky and he pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose.

"Oh, well, that's good..." A moment of awkward silence. "'Bye then."

Another unsteady nod from the boy and she walked on with a small wave. A few steps beyond him, however, Mei sneakily glanced back and then muttered, "He's still watching you. I hope that wasn't some weirdo."

"What? Don't be stupid. How likely is that?"

"Doesn't matter how _likely._ He still could be and he's _still_ watching."

"Well, is he following?"

"No, but-"

"Then it's okay. No one can stop him from looking, but as long as he doesn't do anything there's nothing to get upset about, right?"

"Tch," a click of the tongue. "I guess. Still creepy though."

"Yeah, well, there'll always be people like that around."

It wasn't until hours later that Rin realized there'd been English writing on the front of the notebook dropped by the passerby. When she thought back to the way he so quickly snatched it, to keep her from even touching it, she had a startling moment of clarity.

Upon that realization, her heart froze with fear.

―

"What?!"

"Shh!" she admonished.

He brought down the volume, but his tone was still dismayed. "What did he look like?!"

"I really can't remember, I'm sorry! All I can think about is that notebook and I didn't read what it said, just saw the letters and recognized them as English. I could be wrong-"

"You could be, but considering his actions I don't think so," he interrupted with an aggravated sigh.

When she called him he was glad to talk, but the conversation was immediately serious. To Light, it sounded like Rin had a run in with the user of the Death Note. A black notebook, perhaps leather bound, with English letters on the cover. A notebook the owner didn't want her to touch at all.

In any other circumstance that wouldn't be so strange. People could be defensive about possessions, but his mind jumped ahead to the worst case scenario.

"Did you ask your friend if she remembered more about him?"

"Yes, but she wasn't really looking at him, you know what I mean? She was seeing if he was being strange and, I mean, I guess he kind of was."

He tried to sound calm. "How so?"

"Just watching us walk away."

"You mean watching you, right? Don't downplay it now, this is too important."

He heard her deep breath. "Yes. Fine. Watching me. He had glasses and I thought he was about your age. He was skittish, but that's all I remember."

"And neither of you noticed him before that? Like, following you around earlier?"

"No."

Another heavy exhale. "That's something I guess. Would you please be on the lookout? And be careful!"

"Of course! I'm not going out again until break starts anyway and that's only with you. I finished my internship last week. Since I won't be continuing next school year I wanted to open up a spot for someone else to get a head start."

"Charitable of you," he muttered, distracted.

"Not really. I finished my pieces for the open house and there's no point going anymore."

They lapsed into silence. What was there to say? At least he had further clues about the murderer; he wore glasses and wasn't very smart about keeping the Death Note private. Why in the world would he carry it around like that? The chances of exposure rose exponentially.

"Anyway," he said after near five minutes of quiet contemplation. "Stay safe. In general."

"You too," she spoke softly. "You're the one possibly seeing that person day in and day out."

―

On Monday Light met the user of the Death Note.

"Uh, Light-san!"

The voice called out to him from behind, nervous, shaky and distinctly male. That alone was cause for suspicion, but he tried to put it aside as he turned to face a lanky teen with glasses.

"Oh, Akira-san," friendly tone. "Was there something you needed?"

Gotou, Akira. Looking at him now, Light could see all his opinions falling into place and he wouldn't have called him by given name normally, but it would be rude to use his surname when _he'd_ been called out with _his_ given. Ridiculous formalities, but he couldn't be sure what kind of mental state he was dealing with.

Twitchy. Eyes darting.

Whatever he was about to say might not be honest.

"I'm sorry!" The words were blurted hastily and without context.

"Pardon?" he kept his tone light.

"I- I mean... It's not really an apology to you, but I guess..." Looking at the floor. To the wall. Face turning red. "I mean, I bumped into your girlfriend!"

"Did you?" It was a struggle to keep his eyes from narrowing.

"Yes! But it was an accident!" Hand-wringing. "I couldn't apologize to her so since I saw you I just-"

"Ah," he interrupted, gently. "I understand. I'm sure it's fine, you don't need to be worried about it."

Fast nods. "Right, stupid of me, huh?"

"No, not stupid. You did the right thing." He stepped forward, put a hand on his shoulder. Truly, Gotou looked far too awed by the gesture. "I'll make sure to tell her you apologized, I'm sure she'll appreciate it," a small smile as he stepped away and said, "Sorry, I've got to get home. My sister always needs help with homework. See you."

A wave goodbye as Akira stuttered a similar farewell and Light disappeared down the corridor, mind moving a mile a minute. He'd not seen the notebook or the shinigami, but that didn't mean he was wrong.

Gotou, Akira might not be the murderer of multiple classmates, but he fit the profile. Sort of. He'd retained a nervous nature and he didn't seem like a bad person. Awkward and clumsy, but not bad.

What Light failed to notice was the change in Akira's posture as he walked away.

―

Gotou, Akira was insanely jealous of Yagami, Light. The boy had everything going for him! Good looks, intelligence, a respectable family. Yet he couldn't hate him for it. Jealousy was one thing, hatred another. Light was always a nice guy. Hard working. Helping others. The kind of person he looked up to and wanted to be like.

But that was impossible.

Once upon a time, it was because he was so timid, a doormat. Bullied, used as a wallet. Now, he would never be like Yagami, Light because Yagami, Light wasn't a murderer.

Gotou, Akira couldn't be like Yagami, Light, so he would have to be someone else.


	10. Chapter Nine

A/N: Enjoy **Light Without The Dark**! This story updates on Wednesdays, except this week 'cuz I'm late all over the place. Also, **NO POST ON HALLOWEEN!** Just a heads up!

―

Rin's closing ceremony was a day after his. On the twenty-first of December Light finished the third semester of his final year of high school.

That was also the day criminals started dying in droves.

He was on his way home when a newscast, shown to the public at a busy intersection on a massive screen mounted on the side of a building, caught his attention.

"At least twenty- no, _thirty,_ inmates of various prisons across Japan have died, simultaneously, of suspected heart attacks. Keep in mind that the numbers could continue to climb as we verify reports..."

People on the street gasped, stared at the broadcast in shock, but Light had to make a conscious effort to look as stunned as they.

His phone rang moments later, a call from Rin, and he answered immediately.

"Did you see-"

"Yes." He cut her off as he veered across the street, headed to the bus stop instead of home.

"And you still think it's... That person?"

He'd told her of his impressions a day after thinking it through, explained the way Gotou behaved and recounted his apology. "Yes, but there's still no proof."

"What are you going to do?" Her voice was laced with worry.

"I'm headed to see my father now," he was climbing aboard mass transit already. "I think it's time to tell him what I know. He might not believe me, but I know I'm right about part of it at least."

It took Rin a moment to answer, he heard her set the phone down and the rustling of clothing. Another moment later a door closed and she spoke again, "I'm going too and don't argue. Two is better than one. I kind of wish I'd held it now though, at least then I might have seen... you know."

"No, it's definitely better you didn't. That could have been a major problem for more than one reason." A mistake that could have killed her.

"I guess you're right. Anyway, I'm heading out now. See you there."

She hung up without waiting for a response, still concerned he might try to talk her out of it. Part of him wanted to, but logic was on Rin's side. In the end, he couldn't be sure the police would see _any_ logic in what they said, but it was still the truth and people were dying.

Albeit criminals.

He could understand the sentiment.

―

Rin had to give an explanation for her trip.

"I believe I have information pertinent to the recent deaths of high school students. I need to get to the police station to file a report."

They couldn't argue with her reason so she was allowed out; that was simple enough, but a tedious hassle all the same. Rin could hardly wait for the day she didn't need to ask permission to take a walk around town. Senior year would afford more freedom and she looked forward to it.

For now, though, she was on her way to meet Light and speak with his father about something unbelievable. Certainly not the first meeting she'd envisioned and he'd probably think them equally insane.

She hoped not, yet as she walked she tried to resign herself to the very real possibility that her boyfriend's father might think her crazy. Hana's wasn't far enough from the station to justify taking a bus and she rather liked the chill air, it helped clear her mind.

It was alright. It was going to be alright.

But, less than a block from Police Headquarters, her journey took a turn.

"Hey!"

Rin stopped in her tracks, turned to see who'd called out only to be greeted by three wholly unwelcome faces; she remembered them, the girls who'd facilitated her first meeting with Light. Unfortunately, judging by their expressions, Light was right about the way they took his involvement.

That meant they were angry with her.

She turned to walk away, prepared to ignore them, but someone came up behind and grabbed her arm, forcing her to turn again. She shook it off immediately, but by then they'd surrounded her. Not too close, but not far enough for her to dodge past either.

How much they'd do so near to the police station Rin didn't know, but teenage girls weren't known for their powers of good sense.

The one who seemed to be the leader flipped pin straight blond hair back over her shoulder and said, "You Hana's girls think you're something special, but all you have is money."

"I bet she bought her face too," a brunette sneered.

"She's fooling Yagami, but it won't last long. He won't stick around forever. Money and looks aren't everything."

Rin couldn't help the short of laugh of disbelief. "Are you saying Yagami-san is that shallow?" She took a step forward, toward the leader. "I'm sure he'll be glad to know what you really think of him."

That set the blond off and she pushed Rin back, a hand to the shoulder. "What do you think you're saying right now?" A small sound of pain escaped as the girl grabbed a fist full of black hair; Rin was forced to lower her head. "There's three of us and one of you! Stupid!" She shook Rin by the hair and desperate attempts to remove painted claws were unsuccessful. "You think Light really likes you? He's totally using you! You Hana girls sure are naïve! What a dumb bi-" she broke off with a gasp, dropped Rin's hair, and clutched at her chest.

It only took a second for Rin to realize what was happening.

She looked around wildly, trying to find the person both she and Light suspected of having the Death Note, but no one else was in sight.

It was cold today. Snow was falling.

"Rei? Hey, Rei! What did you do to her?!"

Rin ignored the two who rushed past in a futile attempt to help their fallen comrade. It'd only been a few moments, and there was no way to stop a death written in the notebook, yet she called emergency services anyway.

Takada, Rei was pronounced dead at the scene and the three witnesses were escorted to the police station by officers who were dispatched when Rin called for help.

Light was just exiting the bus when they entered the building; he saw the back of his girlfriend's head, noted the ambulance leaving the scene, and was trying to understand exactly what happened when a text message from the object of his concern came through.

 **1 grl dead, heart attack, 3 surround me, same frm ur school**

"So," he murmured, standing on the steps of the police building. "The three girls who knocked her down were here. One of them died."

How likely was it for a high school girl to die of a heart attack?

Not very.

This was... Bad. Really bad. Seriously bad.

He sent a **k** reply, didn't know if she read it, and then went into the station.

"Oh, Yagami, Light! Here to see your father? He's in a meeting, but-"

Light could never remember the man's name and at the moment he didn't care to hear it again.

"Sorry," he interrupted quickly. "I was actually, but I just got a text from my-" a moment's hesitation, "-girlfriend. She was supposed to meet me here anyway, but something happened just outside and it looks like she was involved so I-"

A shout cut him off, a door banged open, and a brown-haired girl streaked down a hallway to the left of the entrance. She was someone he vaguely knew, a student at his school. One of those who had an encounter with Rin.

She didn't seem to see him or anyone for that matter. She didn't care that an officer was calling for her return, chasing after her and out the door.

Her eyes looked so vacant when she shot past him.

And then she was falling down the stairs, violently, and lying in a puddle of blood.

Another death. He knew she was gone and the third would meet the afterlife soon because, apparently, Gotou, Akira saw Rin's ill-treatment and was out for revenge on her behalf.

He knew the last wouldn't be far behind, but he didn't think he'd hear a gunshot or the worst sort of bloodcurdling scream imaginable.

It was Rin's voice, he knew it, and without thinking, he ran toward the open door.

Rin was there, still screaming and splattered in the blood of another blond.

The third died by wrestling a gun away from an officer and shooting herself in the face.

―

Gotou, Akira couldn't be like Light, so he would be dark.

―

She'd refused transport to the hospital, but she was still shaking and Light said he couldn't imagine ever letting her go. He held her, in another place far more hospitable than the questioning area she'd been brought to initially. This room was carpeted, had couches and hard, uncomfortable chairs. There was a refrigerator and a microwave. A break room she decided.

They sat together in a chair, she needed to feel close, and the couch was too wide. She felt bad for Light though. She had his lap, but he got unforgiving plastic.

Her face was clean now, stained shirt hidden by a scratchy blanket.

He said he didn't care a bit about that and she knew he was being honest, but she also knew he might feel differently when he had to stand up again. So, in an effort to do him a favor she tried to move, but he wouldn't allow it. Instead, he held her tighter, pushed her head down to his shoulder and stroked her hair.

She was almost okay again. Kind of. Nothing about _that_ would ever be okay. The Death Note was evil in the hands of a human, pure and simple. Maybe it wasn't that way for shinigami? But maybe it was. Why did they get to kill people just by writing their names? That wasn't right either. It wasn't fair.

Still, the shivers were lessened and she had nothing left to throw up.

She wasn't wholly present for the discussion Light had with his father. She did know they _didn't_ talk about the Death Note, she would have noticed that, but she wasn't sure what they said outside of it.

"Rin," she looked up at the sound of his voice. "We're staying until my dad can leave and then you're coming home with us. Okay? He already talked to your parents and the school knows, so you're staying with me, alright?"

She didn't mean to cry.

―

"She's in no state to talk about it now," Soichiro was trying to keep his voice level, but 'L' was testing his patience.

The distorted voice spoke again, lacking inflection or any semblance of sympathy. "I really do hate to make her do this, but it is imperative that I speak with that girl. Your son may remain with her, you said he was asking about me? It may have been on her request. He likely knows something as well."

"What could he possibly know about-"

"I'm sorry, Chief Yagami, but we have little time. Another batch of Japanese criminals has just died of heart attacks and you have two very strange deaths to write up reports about. Ah, and one heart attack."

"Are you saying they might be connected?" Matsuda was the one to ask, eliciting sighs from those around him. Sighs he didn't understand. Weren't they all wondering the same thing?

"That is exactly what I'm saying."

An initial meeting with L, at the request of the detective they'd only heard stories about; Matsuda had no idea who L was at all before the briefing with Interpol.

"And because of that, I need to speak to Doma-san. Immediately. There is no more room for discussion. I assure you I do understand that she's had a traumatic experience, but this cannot wait."

―

She'd searched for other things, Doma, Rin. More than just trying to find out about who 'L' was. That could have been attributed to a school project or some similar pursuit, but not so likely in conjunction with her other activities. 'Death Note'.

 _What is a Death Note?_

 _Are shinigami real?_

What did those inquiries mean? The implications were far fetched, but he still needed to know and the only way to find out was to ask her. The circumstances were certainly unlucky for her, but it could be worth something in the end. If she had a difficult time speaking he would attack from that angle; giving her a sense of purpose might help.

"Bring them here."

―

She heard the name and it woke her up.

"...says it must happen now, that it's vital to the investigation..."

Chief Yagami didn't sound sure or willing, but this was a chance to talk to L. The only person who might not immediately dismiss their claims of supernatural forces.

"It's okay," she said. Her voice sounded robotic to her, but that was alright. She was alright. Death happened every day. She'd seen a violent one, a manipulated one, but that only meant she had to stop the person who made it happen. She had to focus on that. "I have something to say to L anyway."

"Are you sure?"

Light wasn't the one who spoke, he wasn't going to get in the way. He knew as well as she did that this was an opportunity, to tell the truth to the person who needed to hear it the most. The greatest detective in the world. He didn't try to stop her from standing, just moved with her, shadowing each movement. His hand rested on her back, letting her know he was still there.

"Yes."

The sigh was resigned as the chief said, "Alright. This way then."

They followed him to a vacated room, the only occupants a laptop with a Gothic font 'L' on the screen and an unrecognizable man concealed from head to toe.

As soon as the door closed behind Soichiro an electronically manipulated voice began speaking. No formalities were expressed. "Doma-san, I need to know what you were searching for and why."

"Death Note," was the immediate answer.

"And what does that mean?"

"A notebook of death."

Light broke in. "The rules written inside say that 'the human whose name is written within shall die'."

"And you believe it to be a working object." It wasn't a question. "Why were you looking for L?"

"Because he solved bizarre cases before and he might not dismiss the idea off-hand." Her words were starting to return; speaking of it was lifting a weight off her shoulders. This was what she'd wanted to do, what needed to be done. L had to know about the Death Note. "The other things I looked up, about the Death Note and about shinigami, I was just trying to find out if anyone else knew about them."

"Did you find anything interesting?"

"Shinigami are part of Japanese culture, but I didn't see anything linking them to a notebook that can kill people."

"Why do you believe it to be a reality? Both of you answer."

She looked to Light and he flashed her a brief smile before speaking. "I saw it first. I touched it. It fell to the ground while I was in school, landed in the grass, and I went to look at it once the day was over. I picked it up, read the first page, and set it back down. If I hadn't been distracted by a commotion at the entrance I might have gone back for it."

"What was it that distracted you?"

"Doma was there. She'd been knocked down by three girls. The same three who-" he glanced down. She'd set her mouth in a thin line. "-who died today."

"What did you read in the notebook and what did it look like?"

He sounded so dispassionate, yet Rin assumed he was paying close attention to everything. He had a monotone sort of voice. Or, maybe, that was part of the distortion.

Light's explanation began. "A black notebook with English letters on the front that read, Death Note. The first page began a list of instructions, also written in English, called How To Use It. I didn't look at it carefully, but I do remember that the user had to have both the name and face of the person in mind for it to work. A heart attack was the default mode of murder, forty seconds after the name was written. Other styles of death could be detailed, though. Also," he thought back to the warning. "There's a consequence for using it. Any human who uses the Death Note can neither go to Heaven or Hell.

"And I've seen a shinigami. We witnessed the death of Kinomoto, Kenta and I saw it, a humanoid with abnormally long limbs, bluish skin, and large black wings. Blood red eyes. Chasing him down before he ran into traffic. When we left the scene, after giving statements, it appeared again. Knew my name and told me, 'First one to touch a Death Note dropped into the human world gets it.' So, I guess it technically belongs to me. However, it also said it couldn't force me to use it and that it would stick around with the kid who had it. It also referred to the subject as 'he'. A person who touches a Death Note dropped into the human world can see the shinigami it belonged to."

"Doma?" There was no hesitation in moving forward.

She had to take a deep breath before answering though. "I saw Kinomoto running like his life depended on it. He kept looking behind him, terrified. Then, after we'd walked away, I saw the same look on Light's face and I knew there was something there. I made him tell me and I believe him.

"The other day I bumped into someone, well, he bumped into me and dropped a black notebook. I tried to pick it up for him, but he wouldn't let me. Snatched it away. He acted very skittish and I just... I know feelings aren't evidence, but I thought it was him. That he was the one using the Death Note, that he had it with him and didn't want me to touch it because if I did then I'd see the shinigami, too. There were English letters on its front, but I didn't have the chance to see it fully."

"His name is Gotou, Akira," Light added. "He approached me after school, to apologize for that incident."

A long moment of silence passed before the computerized voice spoke again. "I believe that you believe you are telling the truth. It is certainly a strange story," a pause. "I do not disbelieve what you have said, however, things must be proven. You've given me a name and many things to consider. I will contact you again."

And that was it.

―

A couple hours ago Sachiko was stunned, and horrified, to hear of what happened in the presence Light's girlfriend. What an awful thing for anyone to experience, let alone a young girl! Another place at the table was quickly arranged and Sayu informed that Doma, Rin would be visiting for the night.

The child was near bursting with enthusiasm but sobered when she was told, in non-graphic detail, of what their guest recently witnessed. She was still excited to see her brother's girlfriend, the first to ever visit their house, but had the presence of mind to tone down her joy. It really was an awful thing, to see three people die? How could that even happen?

She made a place on her bedroom floor, for herself because she couldn't imagine asking _Light's girlfriend_ to sleep on the floor, and made quick work of shoving things under the bed. Satisfied that looking clean was the same as being clean, Sayu left her room with a small nod, smile and "Hm," of pride.

When the three arrived the Yagami household had a comforting feel to it, welcome after the horrors of hours past. The rooms were bright and clean. Dinner warm and waiting. Sayu had no reservations about hugging and refusing to let go, and Sachiko practically radiated kindness.

Rin spoke to her own parents before leaving the station, they were preparing to depart Hakodate shortly, expected to see her the next afternoon, and her mind was mostly at ease again. The violence of it was still fresh and the implications daunting, but a large part of her accepted the finality of it all. She couldn't change it. Those girls were dead and their deaths weren't fair, but in the end, there was no going back.

She could only go forward.


	11. Chapter Ten

A/N: Enjoy **Light Without The Dark**! This story updates on Wednesdays.

 **M content below!**

―

Yagami, Sayu was one of those people who could fall asleep after five minutes of lying still. The brown-haired preteen was out like a light as Rin lay awake, watching the minutes pass on a digital clock beside the bed.

It wasn't that she was uncomfortable, she just felt... Lonely. Death was a lonely thing. Seeing two, knowing a third was gone as well though she'd been spared the sight, made her feel solitary. They didn't know they'd die today. If they had, maybe they would have behaved differently.

Or, as she was beginning to suspect, if they hadn't ganged up on her they might still be alive.

Criminals. Gotou, Akira's definition of criminal. First, he killed personal tormentors and, possibly, a teacher he counted responsible. Next, he went for prisoners convicted of violent crimes. Then he murdered three more bully schoolmates. There were probably more inmates on his list and god forbid anyone do something in his presence!

It was frightening. Terrifying.

At least L knew. There was more to be done she was sure, an arrest couldn't be made without concrete evidence, but would that be hard to find? It all depended on how smart Gotou was. There would be no way to convict him without the Death Note and he might be more careful about hiding it these days.

Thoughts of that nature whirled through her mind as tried, and failed, to sleep. She was just reaching for her phone, thinking she'd check the weather forecast, when it lit up with a text from Light.

 _Can u sleep?_

Her answer was immediate.

 _No._

It took him a moment to reply.

 _Come to my room._

She sat up, shocked, yet the idea warmed her to the core for a few wrong reasons, but mostly because she'd realized she had no chance of sleeping alone. Sayu was company, but not the kind she needed.

Rin scooted to the end of the bed, bare feet hit hardwood, and she carefully opened the bedroom door. Head poked out and she saw Light, standing at his own door; he motioned for her to make the short journey.

The kiss he gave her once the barrier closed them to the world was small, just enough to be reassuring.

Still, the first worry was, "What about your par-"

"Actually," his tone was embarrassed. "They know. At least, my mom does. When you came upstairs with Sayu she pulled me aside, worried you wouldn't be able to sleep, and said it would alright if you stayed here," a pause. She felt sure he was blushing, though it was too dark to see. "With me. Just for tonight."

She caught him in a hug, her arms wrapped tightly around his middle, head pressed to his chest. She liked his scent. Sort of cinnamon sugar, but not really. It was hard to describe.

As one hand rested atop her head, the other around her back, he asked, "Do you need to cry?"

Rin shook her head. There were no more tears to come over this, not for a while at least and maybe never. It was the shock, the horror, that made tears fall and those feelings were faded. Now, she was in resignation.

It wasn't long before she started yawning, the events of the day taking their toll as she felt safe to relax. Light didn't let go of her as he maneuvered them toward the bed. The idea made her face heat, but that wasn't what this was about.

Really, she was too tired to think about it deeply. How had she even gotten under the blankets? She didn't remember.

―

"Already asleep?" he questioned in a whisper. No answer. "I guess so."

Easy for her, not so simple for him. He stood by the bed for a long moment, afraid he'd wake her if he moved too soon, and realized Rin wasn't a pretty sleeper. Already one arm was flung off the edge and she was drooling.

Nowhere near as graceful in sleep as she was awake, but in the glow of new love, it was endearing. He wasn't sure he'd always feel that way, especially if she ever hit him in the middle of the night.

It would probably happen.

"Woha. Not trying to walk in on anything! Wait, she's already asleep?" Grating laughter. "Didn't get far, did you Light? Oh well, there's always next time."

The shock passed quickly. He remembered this, the voice of the shinigami, and he wasn't afraid as he turned to look at it. Rather he kept calm; there was no sense in losing himself.

"Was there something you needed?"

"Well, I was just checking in, but now that you mention it I could go for an apple. Red if you have any!"

Apple?

"I think I do," his tone was cautious.

"Alright!"

It followed him to the hall, down the stairs, and into the deserted kitchen where a bowl of various fruit sat upon the counter. He picked out the sole apple, tossed it to the floating repulsion, and watched as it devoured the food.

"So, Shinigami-"

"Names Ryuk," it released a satisfied sigh.

"Ryuk," strange name. "What exactly are you doing here?"

"Well, the kid is doing all kinds of stuff lately, interesting enough. I mean, way better than the _nothing_ going on in the Shinigami Realm. I'm just roaming around. Here to visit," another rasping laugh.

He didn't know what to ask it. What did you say to a shinigami?

"You mentioned the place you're from-"

"The Shinigami Realm. Boring. All we do is gamble, sitting in the dust. There's nothing to do except watch you humans, but they make fun of you if take it too seriously. I don't care. Couldn't take the boring anymore!"

"You came here because you were bored?"

"Yup! Out of my mind. I had to drop my Death Note to do it, but at least it was the one I tricked off the King. Anyway, nice seeing you Light and your girlfriend, too." Black wings extended. "Do your parents know she's in your bed?" Scratchy, hysterical laughter followed as it shot upward, through the ceiling and no doubt into the open air of the night sky.

If he hadn't known better he would have thought it was a dream.

―

 _His hands skimmed along her sides, pulling her shirt up and over her head. Mouths met again, tongues tangled. Her hands were in his hair._

 _It was hot. Summer. Tallgrass tickled her back._

" _Light," she moaned his name as he gasped hers. A warm breeze._

"Light."

Spoken softer than a whisper and actually her voice wasn't what woke him, it was the way she'd draped her body across his. At first, he was confused, deliriously aroused and confused. When he realized this wasn't part of nighttime imaginings he grew even harder. Yet, still, sanity prevailed. Rin was asleep, dreaming, even as she said his name again.

He needed to wake her. After that... He would figure it out once she was conscious.

It didn't take much, a few shakes of the shoulder and she returned to the waking world. It was a moment longer before she seemed really awake though. She wobbled to her knees, rubbed her eyes, yawned and stretched. The too small shirt, borrowed from his sister he reminded himself, rode up the flat planes of her stomach.

Light was a prudent person and he took life very seriously, anyone would say so. Most wouldn't ascribe the typical plagues of teenage boys to him, though that was inaccurate. He went through hormones just like everyone else, but he'd always been a controlled person.

Rin was making him lose control. Her attack was unfair, perpetrated in the far too early hours of the morning when he was defenseless. She'd been curled around him as they slept, pressed close, a leg high around his waist.

A blink. Another. He saw the moment she recognized him, watched as realization dawned. First embarrassment, then something else he could hardly stand to consider.

"Light," her whisper was followed by a bitten lip. "Sorry." Wholly inadequate, she thought as she flushed. A full body rush of heat. The dream hung in her mind, not forgotten as so many were. It was no surprise. How could she forget when the real thing was right there with her?

She watched as he pushed into sitting position, realized she'd caused him a, a, _an issue_ , but instead of feeling abashed she was seized with the insanity of power. But that was wrong. Really wrong. His family was outside the door. All sleeping, but still.

When his hand cupped her cheek and he said, "Don't be sorry," Rin thought she might die. "But, and I don't say this often," she snorted softly, "I don't know what we should do."

"Yes you do," she quietly accused. "And so do I. What we _should_ do, but that feels impossible." Their eyes met. "There are things we definitely should _not_ do, though." Even as she said it she was leaning closer. "We should _not_ go too far."

He didn't ask how far that would be, didn't need to, but he did dodge her kiss in favor of leaving the bed to lock the door.

―

She was on hands and knees, above him now. Pulled away to push long hair back, behind her ear. He'd snapped the band. When her mouth met his again, so did the rest of her body. Slowly descending, one part at a time. Chest to chest, hers still covered, pelvis to pelvis and _oh_ he was so hard through soft fabric pants. She wore shorts. Petite little things that barely fit yet they were the only ones of Sayu's that did. The girl was tiny!

Hands were on her butt, squeezing for a moment and then forcing her to the bed. He hovered, trapped her arms above her head. She squirmed, determined to be touching again, but he wouldn't allow it. Free fingers found a stiffened peak, pinched it through the thin material of a light nightshirt, and her moan called him to release her.

As she sat, pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it aside, she felt his eyes. Dark. So dark they looked black in the night. There was a faint glow from the darkened computer screen, in sleep mode, just enough for adjusted eyes to see one another.

Pressed together, mouths open in long, hot kisses, she rose to her knees and he sat back. She was above again, her hands on his face, sliding down his neck, around his shoulders, and pushing back up into his hair. They broke apart for air; his teeth traveled to her neck, shoulder. Biting. Licking. Sucking. Further. She shuddered as his tongue rounded a nipple, when he pulled back to blow cool air.

"Light," a gasp. It was all she could do. "We can't-"

"I know," he was breathless. too. "I know."

So they had to end it. He didn't stop her when she brought herself down, ground against him. She found release first, her trembling brought on his, and he held her there. Arms around his neck, face buried there as well.

The first words he said were, "Rin, I really do love you."

She responded in kind. "I really do love you too, Light."

―

That silly 'afterglow' phenomenon was real. She lay fully upon the bed, he was on his side, stroking her cheek as she peered at him, wondered if she should feel embarrassed.

All she wanted was for him to lick her all over. _All_ over. And she wanted to lick him, too. _All_ over.

Twitchy. Her hand moved on its own, reaching for his bicep, but he stopped her with a gentle, laughing, "Hey. Aren't I supposed to be the uncontrolled one?"

"I don't know," she was trying to reach his mouth; he was leaning away. "But, I don't care."

"You need to though," his tone was kind, yet firm. "We need to."

"There's more to do than... sex. You know?" The word was difficult to say. "I just want to try things."

"Well," he was having a hard time turning her down, she could see it. "You're not wrong, but-"

"Just let me," she whispered, lightly pushing him down. "It's nothing much," a murmur as her lips ghosted over his. "I only want to see you," her hand found growing hardness and he hissed. "And lick you," her mouth was at his ear, "suck you, taste you," the idea of it made her moan. "Light, please?"

She drew his earlobe into her mouth and he felt sure she would be the death of him.

―

He was pulling her hair and it felt good, yanking every once in a while as he tried to keep quiet. The little bits of pain, sharp yet brief, made her groan.

When she first saw him, his rock hard length, her mouth watered. She'd always thought the idea disgusting, frighting, but with Light... It was different. Everything was different. Rin wanted him to need her so badly that he'd pull her into an alley and push her up against a wall when they were out together.

The visible arousal meant he wanted her.

When fingertips danced across him, lashes fluttering as she inspected what she'd done, she had to keep herself from getting too excited. She didn't actually know what she was doing, after all. She might be horrible at it.

" _Just don't bite."_

One horrific conversation with Mei; her roommate had few boundaries when it came to talking about illicit activities and once she found out Rin had a boyfriend she was even more open to sharing. Rin still wished it hadn't happened but was slightly grateful now.

She licked him from base to tip, catching his taste, and growing bolder with his answering shudder.

"Rin," he gasped her name. He'd done it so many times now, often trailing off into indescribable noise.

She kept stopping. Making him wait. Torturous pleasure and delicate fondling, a little worried about hurting him. Kissing him. Making out with his dick, losing herself to the sounds he made and getting off herself, but not enough. Close, but not enough.

When he came the swallow was reflexive, but she didn't have time to think about it because he had her on her back and he was pulling down the too small shorts.

―

She was on her stomach, biting his pillow so she wouldn't shout. Her bottom was in the air and he'd spanked her. _Hard_. His fingers were touching her, stroking, and she was sweating. He turned her over, told her to look at him as he slid a finger inside.

She stared, wide-eyed, and then random sounds left her throat as her eyes slid closed. He had to cover her mouth with his to keep her quiet. Two fingers. Three. Pumping it and out, so quickly and _rough_. She liked it. Liked it when he broke away and replaced hand with tongue. Drinking from her. His hand took his mouth's place and she sucked his fingers in, laving them. Losing her mind as she thrilled, tingled, and clenched.

―

They were dressed again and he'd unlocked the door. She snuck back to Sayu's room; everyone else was still asleep.

If she hadn't left they would have gone too far.


	12. Chapter Eleven

A/N: Enjoy **Light Without The Dark**! This story updates on Wednesdays. Unless it takes me two hours to donate blood and then I catch a cold.

―

Rin was never, ever, going to be able to look at Light the same way again and it was fine, just difficult. Not embarrassing. It should have been. He wasn't even near her and she was wet. She wanted to jump him and his _family_ , her own parents too!, were in the room.

Both sets of adults so concerned for her, disbelieving when she said she really was okay. Even when she tried to explain, to tell them she realized there was no changing it and that she understood it wasn't her fault, they still looked worried.

Did he feel the same way as her? He would hardly glance at her, so she thought he must. If they could be alone, even for a moment-

But her parents were standing, it was time to leave.

Or it would have been, had the phone not rang, answered by Sayu and soon handed off to her father as she complained about a 'weird' sounding voice on the other end.

"What-But- Right _now_?"

―

When 'Ryuzaki' made a request it was a demand. He wasn't asking for permission or input, and he was the lead on the investigation of the serial killer lately named Kira by the populace, so it was impossible for Chief Yagami to deny him access to the children.

He supposed they weren't really children, yet they were young and he wasn't sure they should be involved in this at all. What could they have to do with this insanity?

Of course, L had a response for that.

"I suspect each of them of being Kira by a measurable percentage. Small, but measurable."

That in itself was insanity, certainly, neither his son or his girlfriend were killers! It was ridiculous! But that wasn't an argument he could have over the phone. Instead, he gave an excuse, saying it was necessary for both to return to the station for the last interview about the previous day's events.

It was accepted, though no one was happy about it, least of all him. It felt like betrayal, but he knew alerting them to the suspicion would only cast more doubt so he didn't speak of that. He did tell them the truth of where they were headed, to personally meet with L which seemed an odd move considering he thought them capable of murder.

―

Even if they'd been alone in the elevator she couldn't have done anything, Rin reminded herself. There was a camera.

Actually, that might not have stopped her.

"This is as far as I go," Soichiro sounded grave. "I'm not concerned about safety, he gave multiple proofs of identity, but this is-"

"It's alright, Dad," Light answered. "It's not a normal situation, is it?"

A sigh. "I guess not, but," he turned, "If anything doesn't seem right..." he left the warning hanging. He would be downstairs, waiting for their return outside and down the street where he'd parked the car.

Once metal doors slid closed lips met cheek for the briefest of moments and, despite everything they'd done the night before, it made Rin blush. All the indecent thoughts she'd been having muted as Light put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side. This wasn't a simple social visit or something equally easy, this was meeting L and she didn't know why.

There wasn't time to wonder though; as soon as Light knocked on the door a voice sounded from within, telling them it was open and to enter.

She shot a look at Light and he made a small motion, one she interpreted to mean 'keep quiet', as he pushed the door inward.

As it turned out she didn't need a prompting to remain silent, she couldn't have spoken even if she wanted to. The sight of him, _L?_ , was so jarring that even when he asked their names she didn't answer.

"That was smart of you, not to give your names, though I suspect Doma-san's silence is due to shock rather than intelligence. Yagami," his tone was still dispassionate. "Why didn't you answer?"

Light suspected this was more rhetorical than anything as he said, "The Death Note user needs a name and a face to kill. I'm sure I know who the murderer is, but you might not be. For either of us," he nodded to Rin who was still in a stupor. "It doesn't really matter though."

L was already walking, or shuffling, away. "Turn off your cell phones and leave them on that table."

His bad posture looked even worse from behind and it shook Rin from the daze. That was L. She knew it in her heart of hearts, he just _felt_ like L. A genius and didn't people say 'genius is a step from insanity'? That looked to apply.

Light didn't say anything as they followed instruction, pressed a kiss to her temple and it was reassuring. Rin wasn't frightened, but she wasn't at ease either.

"Call me Ryuzaki here or in conversation, though it would be better not to speak where possibly overheard. Your lives may already be compromised, but mine is not and I prefer to keep it that way."

He sat so strangely in his chair, dropping an absurd amount of sugar into his tea? Coffee? She wasn't sure what it was; beyond sludge for sure. Syrupy muck.

"Sit."

Demands, not requests, and not politely delivered either. Then again, he was someone who worked in seclusion, unused to dealing with people face-to-face. He didn't seem to care one way or the other.

If that was the case, then she wouldn't care either.

So she stared. Unabashedly. It was all she could do; if she'd been concerned with appearances she would have looked elsewhere, maybe at a distant spot over his shoulder, but she didn't. And, because she was so intently focused on him, she realized a strange thing.

L was like Light if Light was a shut-in.

It was a startling realization and one she knew she _couldn't_ know was true. Not yet. But, she felt so strongly that she was right. Looking between them, though neither said a word and both looked at _her_ like there was something wrong with her, she could see it so clearly. Light and L.

They were definitely going to be friends.

It put her at ease; she could talk to L now, matter how impolite he was because he was actually just Light with severely lowered people skills and an extreme lack of care for how he was perceived.

Also an incredible sweet tooth, she noted as an older gentleman entered the room with a push-cart full of cakes, along with a tea set, and it became immediately apparent they were all for L. He offered them each one, almost as an afterthought, and failed to introduce the elder at all.

So, maybe, he and Light weren't so much the same, but she still felt a solid connection.

Light was not having the same charitable thoughts as Rin; he found L rude in the extreme and he appeared very self-absorbed.

"This here," the detective pointed to the coffee table top with his fork. "Is the list of days with deaths attributed to 'Kira'."

"What's 'Kira'?" Rin asked, peering down to the wooden surface. He'd written directly on it. She stood beside L's chair now, having moved to serve the tea.

December 3, 2006. That was the day of her first date with Light & the day Kinomoto Kenta died.

"That is the name users of the internet have given this mass murderer."

"It sounds like the English word 'killer'," Light added. "And I bet they aren't all against him either."

"No," L observed Light briefly. "They're not. Predictably some are glad for criminal deaths. In general no one-"

Light interrupted. "-would say it in public, but they feel safe online to be honest."

A gentle, vague annoyance washed over L as he took another bite of white cake. It was always irritating to be interrupted. However, Yagami Light was an interesting person. His girlfriend less so, but still affiliated.

"Correct."

"So, people are quietly rooting for 'Kira'," she sighed as she returned to her seat. "Well, who'd miss a rapist? Right?"

"Even so," L said. "This person is childish. They did not begin with removing violent criminals from the world, they started with personal vendettas. It would also be foolish to assume crime will end entirely because of this."

He watched as Doma sat back against the couch, arms folded across her chest. Her head tilted to the side and a thoughtful expression crossed her face. "But people will think that. It'll just go underground though. Maybe worse than ever for the people caught up in it."

"I'd say there's at least an 80% possibility of that happening."

Light spoke carefully, "The Death Note can only be used if the writer has a name and face in mind. If it really is Gotou, he only has access to what the public does."

"Can that information be controlled?" Rin asked, sitting straighter as her hands met the couch on either side of her. "I mean, it kind of is already, but more so?"

"I have a plan to bring Kira out. If deemed necessary, pending the outcome, we will restrict access to information on criminals. Report with little information. Also," at this point, he seemed to be speaking to himself. "The police's computer system will need to be more carefully monitored. Watari!" The name was sharply spoken, though hardly louder.

The old man reappeared. "Yes, Ryuzaki?"

"Have someone monitor the Japanese Police's computer files. We need to know if they're being accessed by an outside party. If they are it must be tracked and stopped."

"Yes, Ryuzaki," with a small bow the man left the group again.

"I will need the cooperation of the Japanese Police to monitor Gotou Akira. If my plan goes accordingly he will unquestionably be the highest suspect. He already has some connection to the first few dead," his thumb landed near his mouth. "But, Light," honorifics dropped. "You're the second most likely to be Kira."

Blank stares. Blinks.

"What?"

"You are also a student in the school of the deceased, not only that but you hold high ideals of justice, and you're a very intelligent young man. It wouldn't be surprising for you to try and implicate another in your place." His tone was bland. "Though your tale of how it's all possible is highly suspect and you've dragged your girlfriend along... If you are Kira that might not matter to you." He inclined his head. "Doma is third in line, though her chances are much slimmer.

"Don't misunderstand. Though you hold the second place it doesn't mean I truly think you Kira. You are second, not first. You've not been bullied or shown vindictive tendencies in your life thus far. Really, I put your chances around 30% at best. However," his timbre flatlined. "If you are Kira then be aware that I will catch you and make you pay for your crimes to the fullest extent of the law."

By then Light had regained modes of speech. "Well, do that to the _real_ Kira. I have nothing to hide."

Rin's lips pressed into a thin line. "If you suspect us then why are we here? Now we know your face. Isn't that dangerous for you?"

"In a way. But, if I should suddenly die of a heart attack-"

"-your obituary would read because of excessive sugar intake."

L continued as if Light had not spoken. "-or under any other circumstance you two will be immediately placed under arrest."

He reached for the tea, poured himself another cupful, and proceeded to fill it with sugar. "Now, tell me more about that 'Death Note'."

―

The story was strange, but not unbelievable.

A true monster.

He knew one of those.

In any case, the idea of a Death Note, brought to this world by a god of death, was incredible. A world outside their own, unreachable thus far by science. Only written of in fiction. Or, perhaps, some had contact with other worlds; stories of truly inhuman beings permeated society. Demons. Bringers of death.

He didn't think it impossible and he detected no flashes of guilt in either teen when accused of possibly being a murderer. Both seemed confident they'd be exonerated and fully sure of Gotou Akira's guilt.

It was a massive boost to be given a name. Gotou fit the profile he'd created for the killer known as Kira. A student. Male. Bullied. And now he knew how it was done. Possibly.

"The last thing to do is test it."

"How?"

Light was the one to ask. He was more forthcoming with speech than Doma, though she wasn't exactly shy. She was more content to listen.

"You'll see. Wait for it. It'll be on the news soon."

Then he sent them away, shortly observing the way they held hands out the door, and set to thinking ahead.

He wasn't expecting it when a quick rap sounded on the door again and when Watari indicated it was Doma he was even more surprised. He gave the okay for opening and she declined to enter. Only stuck her head inside and said, "I don't know if we'll see you again, but I just realized it's nearly Christmas so... Happy Christmas, Ryuzaki."

She left immediately afterward, though he heard Light's "He probably didn't even know it was alm-" as the door closed once more, and the small warmth within his chest was ignored.

There was no time for anything like that.

Not a moment after he had that thought another knock sounded, this time it was Light who had something to add. Something ridiculous. "Shinigami like red apples. Just thought you'd want to know."

Gone again. Both of them.

"They're very young, aren't they Ryuzaki?"

"Yes."

Young. That was perhaps the most appropriate word for them.


	13. Chapter Twelve

A/N: Enjoy **Light Without The Dark**! This story updates on Wednesdays. Most of the time.

―

"I wonder if we'll see him again," her sigh was almost wistful.

"If we do it will be too soon."

"You don't really mean that."

"Hm." She was possibly right, but L, Ryuzaki, honestly rubbed him the wrong way. "Maybe not, but once a week would be more than enough."

Her laugh was genuine and Light was glad to hear it. After the violent events of the previous day, he'd worried that she might not be able to do that so soon. Rin seemed like a strong person, he didn't doubt she'd be able to smile again, but it was almost _too_ soon.

"Hey," he stopped on the sidewalk, waited for her to turn before continuing. "Are you really okay?"

With a small smile, she moved closer and tightened her grip on his hand. "Yeah. I really am," she paused for a moment. "It's still...super sad, but it can't be changed. We can only try to stop it from happening again." A blush crept onto her cheeks and she gripped his hand tighter. "Also, I might be a little preoccupied."

His face also took on a tinge of red at the thought. "Right, it's probably for the best that we'll be apart for a little while, now that I think of it."

"I dunno about that," her tone was vague as they started walking toward Soichiro's car.

"What do you mean?"

He stared as she bit her lip, nearly missed a step when her hand left his and took hold of the hem of his shirt and she whispered, "It might be better for you, but I'm going to stay distracted."

The way she looked at him from beneath her lashes sent the message loud and clear. Had his father not called out to them he might have pulled her off the street, away from the prying eyes of society.

It'd been in the back of his mind all morning, the memory of the time she spent in his bed. It wasn't long, just a few hours but the whole thing was burned into his mind. He'd been afraid she would regret it come sun up, but that was obviously not the case.

In the car, Soichiro had an explanation of plans yet again altered.

"We're stopping by Hana's so you," he met Rin's eyes in the rear view mirror. "Can grab anything you'll need at home."

"Well, I don't need any-" she broke off with a gasp. The sun catchers. She'd spent far too much time agonizing over those things to leave them behind; she'd give them to his family now. "Actually I do."

A nod of acceptance.

―

Light remained in the front seat when Rin got out to jog to the gate and toward the school. He was only giving his father fifty percent of his attention when he began speaking; the general spiel went in one ear and out the other until he brought up the circumstances of room arrangements the night before.

"-mother said she could go to your room?"

He had to work not to inhale sharply.

"Uh, yeah. You know, just if she couldn't sleep." Good. Calm. Remain calm.

"And...?"

Calm. "And she did for a while. Got some sleep, didn't seem to have any nightmares." Which he'd initially been concerned about.

The nodding head of his father somehow looked artificial; Light could sense that the conversation hadn't ended yet. "Good, that's good."

The silence stretched.

"Yeah." He turned in his seat to fully face Soichiro, which might have been a mistake but only because it tipped him off to the direction they were headed and it was terrifyingly inconvenient. Still, it would be better to get it over with. "Dad, what are you actually trying to ask me right now?"

The deep breath was another indication. "Well, Light, you know we just want to be sure-"

"Dad," he interrupted. This was excruciating. "Please, you _really_ don't need to worry about that." Would a guilt trip help here? "Do you really think I'd take of advantage of her in a moment like-"

"No! No, Light of course not. It's not that. It's just, you know, we never had that talk with you-"

"Yes, you did." He remembered it vividly, yet back then it felt so unnecessary.

"I mean in a more serious manner. You were twelve and it was cursory."

"They have a whole course of study on this subject at school nowadays, you know." He looked to the windshield. "Seriously, there's nothing- I mean- I definitely wouldn't-" Though he did. She did. They did. But, his father didn't need to know that.

"I'm not really talking about last night, it's about the school break. I talked with her parents, and your mother, while waiting and we've decided it would be good for you to go with them."

He blinked.

"What?"

"She was alright yesterday and so far today seems fine, but sudden, violent events like that can take a while to set in. Her parents both still have to work and it wouldn't be a good idea for Rin to be home alone. That on its own could trigger panic."

It wasn't that it didn't make sense, it did. The logic was all there, but somehow it wasn't sinking in.

"Now, the thing is that means you'll both be there on your own for a good part of the day. Keep in mind either of her parents could drop back in at any moment, but none of us are," he paused, searching for the right phrase. "Blind to the way things could shape up."

He had to break in and end it. Rin was visible again, with rolling luggage and a bag tied closed with ribbon. "Dad, we haven't been going out long enough for anything to happen. I understand why you might be concerned, but neither of us are, you know... Stupid." For lack of a better term and he looked to his father quickly, was relieved to see the stress lines recede.

"I know that, but it had to be said." He was almost defensive.

"I get it, just please don't bring it up to Rin." That would be truly awful.

"I have no intention of that."

―

The atmosphere was heavy when she reentered the car. Silent. She wondered what made it that way but didn't ask as she loaded her things in and put on her seatbelt.

Attempting to lighten the ambiance she said, "I thought there was just one thing I needed, but once I got in there it seemed like so much more." Because of Mei. Because Mei was an idiot who'd first been deathly worried about her like a good friend should be, and then switched gears entirely by forcing the offending _items_ to be packed too because 'He could totally visit you and you have to be prepared!'

"No, no, it's fine. We had a good talk," Soichiro patted Light's knee as his son groaned and the car started rolling. "Actually though, there's been another change of plans."

"Yes?"

"Light, would you like to explain it?"

"Sure, Dad," the cheer was forced. Obviously forced and if she asked he would explain why later, but for now he just wanted the whole thing to be over. "Rin," he turned in his seat to look at her, noted her raised eyebrows. She knew something had gone awry, but not what. "I'm actually going with you and your parents."

"What? Really?" She tried to find a reason and failed. "Why?"

"Concern over your mental health." Her look of confusion spurred more explanation. "You've been okay so far, but it could be because the totality of the incident hasn't impacted you yet."

Her eyes narrowed slightly and she silently mouthed, _"What?"_

"You could have a panic attack later and it wouldn't be good for that happen if you're alone. In fact, being alone could bring one on."

In truth, she'd understood what he meant the first time around and her question was more directed at the universe than him.

She would never thank Mei outright, she'd never let it be forgotten that her planning was useful, but as Light turned back around Rin did silently wish good things on her roommate.

―

"It was The Talk."

"Oh."

That was all she needed to hear to understand. They were in his room again, door wide open, as he packed a duffle bag for the unexpected trip.

"Nothing graphic, but," he shook his head. "Still unfortunate."

"That's always unfortunate. Now that you say that though," she thought of her own parents. "They'll probably say something to me, too." She shivered at the thought. "I hope not, but my mom's pretty open so maybe it won't be so bad?"

"You can only hope." He zipped it closed and straightened. A careful scan of the stairway and landing proved no one else was around or on their way up; he took the chance to lean down and press his mouth to hers. He pulled back a moment later, but she followed for another.

This time the one who interrupted them was Sayu.

Fortunately, nothing intense was underway. Chaste kisses were nothing to ashamed of, but the too wide smile on his sister's face was perturbing.

"So," she took a dainty step forward, hands clasped behind her head, and passed over the threshold. "You do stuff like that, huh?" If possible her mouth stretched even further.

"Sayu," his tone held a warning.

"Don't worry, don't worry," she turned around again. "I won't tell Mom and Dad..." she glanced back over her shoulder. "For a price."

He sighed loudly.

"You have to help me with all my homework whenever I ask with no complaints and if I fail something you can't tell Mom or Dad."

"Why? Are you going to fail something?"

"No, of course not!" It wasn't convincing. "Just... hypo...hippoth-"

"Hypothetically?" Rin suggested with a good-natured roll of the eyes. It was funny. Typical sibling banter she'd never been able to experience.

"Right!" Confusion passed into another bright smile. "That!"

"Your teacher will tell them whether I do or not, you know that right?"

A bitten lip indicated she'd not thought the entire thing through.

"Sayu, I already help you with homework."

Her mouth pressed into a thin line. "Okay, so then you just owe me. Something. I dunno what yet, but something!"

"You can't speak so generally. If you can't think of something in the next ten seconds-"

"Ten seconds?!"

"You need to learn to think fast. You're letting an opportunity pass you by."

"But that's not enough-"

"And while you tried to argue the ten seconds passed." He walked out of the room, patted his sister on the head even as she ducked away with a scowl. "Better luck next time."

Rin's laughter wasn't gratifying to Sayu.

―

The ride to Shinjuku Station was cramped and her mother kept flirting with Light. Rin was trying to ignore it. Really, it was nothing more than embarrassing and many worse things could have happened, but she was still glad when they arrived.

It would be a five and a half hour trip, but had her parents driven? That would have been a literal half a day easily, hoping for good traffic all the way. She couldn't imagine being in a car with them, and Light, for twelve hours.

No. She really couldn't imagine that.

So, they were all on the train, one switch down and a long way to go. It was her father's turn to interrogate Light and they'd gone off a way to sit secluded. She tried not to imagine what might be said.

As it was she had her own problem to deal with. The smarmy smile on her mother's face was a harbinger of danger.

"Your first boyfriend..." Doma, Miyuki was starry-eyed over the idea. She'd always been excited to see her daughter blossom into a young woman, even as she begged her to remain an infant and then a toddler; this was just another step in that direction.

"Mom," the look on her face was almost pained. "Please don't."

"How can I not?!"

Far too excited. "By just not."

"Obviously we could have met under better circumstances," she pulled the girl into her embrace, even as she grimaced. "But Light's really wonderful, Rin. He really is. You know I can tell about people."

"I know you like to say that."

"Hmph," she stroked black hair, so similar to her own. "Only because its true. I knew I'd marry your father the first time I met him."

"We don't need to rehash that," Rin said quickly. It was an achingly awkward story of embarrassing, accidental nudity and she'd heard it before.

"Anyway, Light's something special. Just like you," she tapped Rin's nose with each word of the final sentence.

"Geez..."

"Even if you do act like a spoiled brat sometimes," she laughed. "I bet he doesn't know that about you yet." All at once Miyuki sobered. Releasing Rin she looked at her daughter, searching for some sign of a change. "They said you slept with him last night."

The sputtering and blushing could have been an indicator of something or, as she preferred to believe, simple embarrassment over the implications.

Still, Rin was able to somewhat compose herself, at least enough to answer tactfully. "Only because I couldn't sleep alone. Sayu is sweet and all, but she was knocked out in five minutes."

"Hm," a small smile and nod. Yet she couldn't help thinking... Though, maybe that was a bias. She hadn't been able to hold out for long after all. What was it? A few hours after that destined, nude meeting at the unexpectedly mixed bathing house? This wasn't even close to being the same situation; actually, she wished it was.

The idea of Rin seeing all that death was heartrending.

"Even so," Miyuki continued. "You know I don't have my head stuck in the sand. Our culture is still very conservative when it comes to talking about this, though open in other ways," she paused for a moment as she thought of popular entertainment and then shook the thought away. "Anyway, I don't feel like I can tell you not to, just be smart." Be safe.

The look on Rin's face was somewhere between disgusted and horrified. "I asked you _not to_. Why couldn't you just _not_?!"

It wasn't unexpected when she left the seat and walked away to curl up in a corner. The train was rather empty this time of day, at least on the line they took. Wallowing in nauseated despair was easily accomplished.

But, Hiro was returning now, with Light, and he was patting the boy on the shoulder jovially, though the teen looked slightly pained. Nowhere near as bad as Rin, but that was the plan. Put them off the idea before it cropped up and hopefully hold them back for a while. It was an important time academically and while neither were known for impulsive decisions, they were still young. Being young and in love could lead to dangerous waters.

Miyuki rolled her eyes at herself.

She would know.


	14. Chapter Thirteen

A/N: Enjoy **Light Without The Dark**! This story updates on Wednesdays. Most of the time.

―

The Talk Hiro thrust upon him wasn't half as bad as the one his own father blundered through, but it was still uncomfortable in the extreme. Though, as Rin was huddled in misery and giving off an aura of 'leave me alone forever', it couldn't have been nearly as traumatic as the one she had with her mother.

"She's just dramatic," was Miyuki's explanation. "You probably didn't know that about her yet, but she can be a real drama queen."

"She was the kid who'd hold her breath to the point of passing out just because she was angry," Hiro added.

Her parents were quite young considering the age of their daughter. As it turned out they'd had a shotgun wedding at eighteen, Miyuki, and nineteen, Hiro. Which, honestly, Light hadn't wanted to know, but now he did and there was no going back.

By all accounts, they seemed to be great people-people. Very extroverted and willing to talk about anything and everything, the both of them. It was no wonder their shop did so well. Normally glass blowing wasn't a big business, but their bright personalities burned through without trying.

That made Light wonder how Rin could have turned out to be herself. She wasn't like that. Not effervescent.

"She's consistent," Miyuki said, she didn't require any prompting talk about her child. "Really hates change in her routine, wants things planned out way in advance," she laughed. "It was very hard for her whenever we did unexpected things. She truly hates surprises! Even if it was something she'd normally like. If we sprung the idea of getting ice cream on her she'd cry and fight it. For years! Not just when she was two or three and even now she'll get mad about it."

"We might have spoiled her," Hiro revealed, though he didn't seem at all ashamed of it. "If we told her we were going somewhere other than straight home now she might refuse to go."

The hours passed in that way, Light didn't speak much and Rin didn't rejoin them. It was a new side of her. The childish one. The side that wanted to punish the ones who upset her by staying away from them.

Anyway, it wasn't like they could be close with her parents nearby. Neither of them were brave enough for that.

Along with touching the Death Note came a change in him, a change in inhibitions, but this wasn't one of them. He cared less about what most others thought of him, but that feeling did not extend to his girlfriend's parents.

―

The walk to their house was uneventful. He did find it within himself to tease Rin a tiny bit by asking to hold her hand. She didn't appreciate it and marched ahead without him, aggravated fire lit in blue eyes. Her parents thought it was hilarious.

"See? She's very immature."

He supposed she was and it was interesting, though he could see how the initial cuteness of it might wear off. It made him wonder what their first fight would be about, how it would be resolved. Who would say, "I'm sorry,"?

He wouldn't be inclined and neither would she.

Both slow to anger, he thought. True anger anyway. Now she was irritated, but not furious and he wasn't the catalyst. She wouldn't remain upset with him for long.

Would he be able to laugh about it, when she was really infuriated with him? Or, would he get mad at her, too?

He'd always thought life boring. One event led into the next, so predictable and dull, with heaping spoonfuls of evil intent thrown into the mix. Only the young and naive, or willfully ignorant, were surprised by the hideous things humans could do to one another.

The world was rotten and people had every capability of sinking to the lowest levels.

Rin acknowledged that, yet still held onto a thin strand of hope. She could be sarcastic, childish, alluring... The idea of being with her, day in and day out, was riveting. He honestly didn't think he would ever get bored of being around her.

Which was why, even though it was far too soon and anyone else would object, he was serious when he asked her to marry him. It was the reason he knew she was serious too. Nothing about this was a game for them.

Of course, he didn't want either set of parents to catch on to that yet. Maybe years from now, when they'd been more-often-than-not-happily married, they'd tell the story of how they decided to wed on their first date.

―

They were leaving them alone.

"Can't stay away from the shop for a whole day. Orders to fill, pieces to plan..."

They were leaving them alone, well aware that something could happen.

"We'll close up early, but that's still a few hours from now. There's food in the house. Be safe!"

They were leaving them alone, well aware that something could happen, and apparently not bothered by it.

The blue hatch-back left the gravel driveway, Miyuki waving goodbye out the window, as the teens stood in stunned disbelief.

Light was the first to recover. He turned to Rin, who was still staring dumbly at the road, and said, "Are you sure your parents are _your_ parents?" Because who in the world would do that? Acceptance was one thing, being aware of the way people behaved was fine, but this was boarding on insanity.

She shook herself slightly and answered. "Right now, I'm not sure," she looked to him with wide eyes. "Are they really gone? Really?"

He walked away from her, to the end of the drive, and then nodded as he returned to her side. "Gone."

Her quick sigh was heavy with skepticism. "I mean, I understand needing to go to the shop, you know? That's important, but I can't believe they'd-" she searched for a way to convey her confusion. "That they'd just... I mean... Is this a setup?"

Were there cameras hidden somewhere inside the house? In her bedroom? In the bathroom?

Then again, the more she thought of it the more sense it made. They were like that. Her parents. Too open about things in her opinion and they always had been. Very liberal with information, even when she didn't ask questions. Especially her mother.

Rin's eyes closed as she sucked in a sharp breath and made a face. Answering her own question she said, "No. It's probably not a setup. It's a weird sort of trust."

"Not many parents have that much faith in their teenage daughters," was the observation. "Not in this situation at least."

She felt her cheeks heat. Embarrassing, it was definitely embarrassing, yet now the memories of their nighttime affair were back and the rest of her body was heating in response. Still, that couldn't actually be acceptable, right?

"Anyway," she moved toward the house, away from temptation though he was following her. "We should just... Put our things inside and-" she broke off, hand on the doorknob. Light was directly behind her, pressed close. "-and, yeah," she finished the sentence with a squeak, pushed open the door and dashed inside.

He'd pinched her backside.

―

"Do you think we should go back? Just to scare them?" Hiro was the sadistic one.

"No! And honestly, I don't think they'll do anything."

His laugh was short but authentic. "No, probably not. They're both very realistic and cautious."

"Thank god..."

"Right? Not like you," a louder laugh as the car took a turn. The shop was in sight.

"Or you!"

So, their daughter and her boyfriend of a few days would be spared respective heart attacks.

―

One of the things Rin bought in the lingerie store, prompted by Mei, was a lacy red underwear set. Boy-short panties with a little bow on the back and a push-up bra.

She stood still, holding the offending items in her hands, unable to simply put them into her top drawer. More racy pieces were hidden within her luggage, but these were the first removed and they were having an effect on her mental state.

The guest room was beside hers, connected by a door. It was usually nothing more than the Junk Room, but earlier in the year her parents took on a boarder who was in the area researching some kind of local flora. Now it was Light's room.

He was there. Just beyond the door.

With a deep breath, she stopped thinking. Her day clothes were discarded, basic underthings tossed off in favor of what she held, and she took a look at herself in the full-length mirror hung on the back of her main door.

She tried to look sexy, it didn't seem to work, and she almost called the whole thing off. But then she remembered her decision, the one where she'd live the way she wanted to live, and realized this was part of it. Of course, Light might be put off by her and this could ruin everything, but...

Without allowing herself any more time to doubt she pushed open the barrier connecting their rooms.

She caught him off guard, that was obvious. He wasn't doing anything scandalous, probably not expecting her to either, just putting his clothing neatly away. He didn't even turn at first, just continued folding until she spoke.

"Light?"

When he _did_ turn he froze immediately. What she wore and the way she stood gave off opposing auras. An arm was raised, hand clenched, and she was looking anywhere but at him. The 'outfit' really didn't fit her posture, but that didn't mean it wasn't seductive as hell or that she was any less attractive for it.

The shirt he held was blindly placed on top of the dresser as Rin advanced, still patently unsure of herself, but resolute.

"If, if you don't want to-"

"I'd have to be blind _and_ out of my mind not to." Her tiny smile was too cute for words. "But, are you sure?"

She looked at him then and nodded decisively.

―

"What are you doing?" Miyuki asked as Hiro made a u-turn. They were hardly a moment from the shop.

"Left the key," was his mumbled answer.

Her eye roll and loud sigh weren't unexpected. "I keep telling you we should upgrade to one of those new systems! We could be using a pin code!"

"Well, when the power goes out have fun with that," was his sarcastic reply.

"Ugh!" She shook her head as a hand slapped the dashboard. "The key would be _back up_! How many times do I have to explain this!?"

―

The loud bang of the car door caused them to fly apart, both breathing heavily and in no fit state to be seen.

"Rin?"

Her mother's voice, calling up the stairs and she dashed into her own room, peripherally saw the connecting door close, and yelled from behind her own door, "Yeah?"

"Did you happen to see the store key?"

With a deep sigh of relief, she quickly pulled on the clothing she'd worn home and stepped out of her bedroom, headed for the stairway.

"No, I didn't notice it."

"Shoot..." her mother was just disappearing into the living room as Rin got to the bottom floor. "Ah, here it is." She exited to the foyer again, moving toward the door. "Anyway, see you later sweetie," Rin ducked the pat to the head. "Oh and do some digging on electronic locking systems for me, would you? Your father won't even consider it, but this is the third time in a month we've had to come back for this darn key _and_ it's the fourth copy this year! One of these days it'll be lost for good and it would be so much easier if we could just-"

"Sure, sure," she interrupted, putting on her best imitation of normal as the barrier closed once more.

As soon as she saw the car leave the driveway though, she sank to the floor. Her heart was beating a mile a minute. What kind of timing was that?

A creak on the stairs alerted her to Light's presence before he spoke. "I guess it's better to stay down here, huh?"

With a long exhale Rin answered, "Yeah," returned to her feet, and continued, "I'll- go make some tea."

He waited until she'd walked a few steps away before saying, with a measure of sarcasm, "Maybe she didn't notice that your shirt is on backward?"

―

In the car again Miyuki was still feeling a little blindsided. She'd truly believed nothing would happen! It was foolish, on both their parts, but still. Rin, and Light too, seemed so much more mature than that. Maybe they weren't? Or, maybe they were and she was reading the signals wrong, or-

"Hey!" Hiro interrupted her thoughts. "So? You have the key?"

"Yes," her tone was distant.

"What happened?" The moment of silence alerted him to the 'trouble'. "They didn't really-"

"No, no, I don't... I mean, if they _were_ it was interrupted, but, you know..."

How he could laugh she would never understand.


	15. Chapter Fourteen

A/N: Enjoy **Light Without The Dark**! This story updates on Wednesdays. Most of the time.

―

It took about twenty minutes for Rin to stop lamenting the detail she'd failed to notice. As she stood in the kitchen, making tea the old fashioned way because it would take longer, she put her head in her hands and leaned on the counter top.

Light tapped her bottom as he took the place beside her and she didn't even react. Instead, she sighed loudly and put her forehead to white tile.

His hand on her back offered a comforting rub, slid around her middle, and pulled her upright. She didn't fight it, but she wasn't interested in encouraging affection either; the worst case scenario, almost, and it happened. How likely was that?

Maybe she'd used up all her good luck meeting Light in the first place.

He maneuvered her back to his chest, arms encircling her waist, and dipped his head to press a kiss to her neck.

Her next sigh was defeated and resigned as she said, "That's nice."

She could feel his smile. "I think so, too. Don't worry about it, it can't be helped."

"Right this second it's not so bad, but when they get back..."

He didn't have any reassurances for that. Awkward was the best outcome.

"They had to know it was a possibility," he could only try reasoning through it. "Totally normal for teenagers and they also know nothing really happened. There wasn't time."

That didn't make her feel much better, but it was true. At least they weren't caught actively engaged; the very thought made her cringe. And what was she thinking anyway? The whole thing was a terrible idea! Why did he go along with it?

"How could we do that?" she moaned in desperation.

"Hormones," was his simple explanation and she couldn't argue.

―

Miyuki would call herself distractible; it didn't take much to make her attention wander and now she sat behind the counter so she wouldn't inadvertently break something while roving the shop.

For now, she could think of nothing but her daughter and the boyfriend.

It wasn't unexpected, but it _was_ unexpected! She thought of herself at that age, she hadn't been promiscuous, but she wasn't as pure as the driven snow either. When it came to Rin the circumstances were all different. She was a level-headed child, much more so than herself, and it was one of those things Miyuki didn't think she needed to worry about.

And maybe she still didn't. Even if they were somewhat active it was entirely possible they stuck to a line. They were definitely smart enough to do that.

There was something between the two of them though, she'd seen it immediately and it was a little alarming because they'd not known each other long. A few weeks. Her own whirlwind romance aside they were young, both still in high school. Wasn't it too soon to be honestly in love? Not impossible, but improbable.

Of course, she thought her own child was something special and it appeared Light Yagami really was, if his record was anything to go by, and she didn't have any true worries about them, as a unit or apart, it was just strange! Rin had a boyfriend once, in the most immature of ways, for a short while and then swore the whole institution off for years. How could her first serious relationship be the only one?

Not that it would be bad, but-

She didn't even know what she was thinking anymore.

―

The tea calmed Rin considerably, she was even able to sit in Light's lap out on the lawn beneath the tree when the house was too stifling.

"I still can't believe that happened," she muttered, slightly ill at the thought.

"At least it was your parents and not mine, especially considering," he left the sentence hanging.

"No more of that," she declared. "Can't risk it. Unless, somehow, we're absolutely sure no one and nothing is going to make a sudden appearance then it's off limits."

Light agreed with the sentiment, however arousal wasn't exactly reasonable. "You say that now and you're right, but we need to be realistic at the same time. It makes more sense to go no further than we did the first time."

She considered his logic and found it sound. "Yeah, that makes sense, but that's still asking for trouble."

"That's true, but how often will be alone together on a normal basis? There won't be much opportunity for things to get heated."

That was sort of sad when she thought of it. He'd be off at university and she'd be in her last year of high school. Would they have any time to be together? Would they drift apart?

And the thing she'd forgotten.

"What about the Death Note? What about Ryuzaki?"

He blinked at the shift in topic. "I don't know. There's nothing more we can do right now. We've told him everything we know and he's supposed to be the best detective in the world, right? That's a massive head start we gave hi-" he broke off as his cell phone rang. A glance at the screen proved to show an unknown number. He hesitated a moment, she peered at the phone too and then answered.

"Are you within viewing distance of a television?" Light didn't have a chance to answer."Turn it on, any news station."

Rin, who'd listened in, stood quickly and bolted into the house, Light on her heels. The remote was snatched from its place on the coffee table, pointed at the screen and a moment later a voice was announcing something about an important broadcast.

"-turbing report of mass death within juvenile correction centers across the nation. Details are sparse at this point, however, we will bring you details immediately as they become available. For now, we'll take a look at what we know so far-"

"I suppose I'll have those cameras removed."

Light heard the words as if they'd been spoken from a distance, it took a moment for him to understand them, and after sharply looking to Rin, she'd not noticed L's statement, he left the room to hiss into the phone, "You put _cameras_ in her house?!"

"You both remain under some suspicion, however, the chances are extremely remote now and the one you mentioned will be cornered shortly if he is the culprit."

"You put _cameras_ in her _house_?!"

There was no further response, L simply hung up.

Light briefly considered calling his father but decided it against it. There was nothing to do about it now and he didn't tell Rin when he returned to the living room either. No need to upset her further.

Her eyes remained trained on the television as she asked, "What did he say?"

"We're under a lot less suspicion."

"Why?" She turned to him.

"He didn't say exactly," he hedged. "Probably because we were with people most of the day and these deaths happened earlier," he nodded to the TV, "but are just being reported now."

She made a noise of acceptance and moved to kneel on the floor, staring at the newscast again.

"-names withheld due both to ages of those involved and privacy of the families, some of whom still need to be notified. We take you now to a live location scene-"

Rin put her attention on Light again, he was watching the broadcast with an intense look of concentration. She'd wanted to ask if those types of records were publicly available, names and pictures of those within detention centers, but now thought that a stupid question. Of course, they weren't. Gotou hacked into computer files to get that information.

"He must've left a trail," she spoke, tone hopeful, and averted her eyes when he looked to her briefly. Her heart was beating much too fast, especially considering the earlier mishap. Being alone with him was dangerous.

She was grateful for a reprieve when the house phone rang, but her mood took a nosedive when it was her mother on the other end.

"Listen," Miyuki said after the usual greeting. "It's not that we don't trust you, you know that right?" She jumped right into it, feet first. Best to say it and be done, as Rin remained silent; horrified her mother was sure. "But, just so you know there are condoms in the cabinet under the bathroom sink. Bought them ages ago, just in case, and I told you then, but you've probably blocked that out and-" She drew a deep breath. "Just know there's no judgment here, okay? We hardly have the right to with our history," one more sigh. "That's all. Be smart, be safe and we're not talking about this again so you can breathe!"

Rin actually _couldn't_ breathe until the phone was back on the receiver. In a way, it wasn't that bad, much better than a face-to-face confrontation, but she wasn't happy about it either. Though there was no good way to have that conversation after the incident and this was probably best.

If she knew one thing for certain, it was that she was never going to look in the bathroom cupboard.

―

Light noted the relief on her face when she reentered the family room, declined to ask about the phone call and she didn't speak of it, gave him a brief smile instead. Later, he would hear about it, but she was calm again and he didn't want to ruin that. Whatever it was, it wasn't terrible.

"Looks like this will be all they talk about for the rest of the day," he said, gesturing to the television when she sat beside him on the sofa again. "It's preempted everything."

"That's not surprising," she sighed. "Tragedies get high ratings. It wouldn't be so bad if it was for the right reasons, but-"

"It's usually not," he finished. "People like to watch and lament, they'll talk about it around the water cooler, but if we went online now?"

Rin shook her head; she didn't even want to think of it. Kira killed again and once more, on the surface, the deaths were of those who 'deserved it'.

"Doesn't Gotou know about our incarceration rate?" she asked aloud. It was something she'd looked into after meeting Light and learning about his future plans. "There are very likely people in there falsely accused! He could be killing innocent people! Even if the rate was the lowest in the world there would always still be someone unfairly jailed. He can't know for sure."

That was actually a sore spot for Light, one of his hangups about the criminal justice system. When he was younger he was more gung-ho, but as he prepared to enter university he took a deeper dive into the world he wanted to be part of.

He didn't like everything he saw and he was concerned about working in the muck.

In any case, his general plan remained the same, but he was no longer sure about where he wanted to put himself as he went into the working world. He didn't doubt he would be one of those people who could choose their employment, he'd been approached by schools as it was. They offered all manner of scholarships and special accommodations, hoping he would choose them.

He looked to Rin; she was biting her lip and jiggling her foot. Her hands cupped her face and fingers tapped her cheeks.

She was so damn cute.

Cute enough to drive him to coarse language, though the Death Note might've had something to do with that, too. He'd noted a distinct change in thought patterns lately. He didn't fully attribute it to _touching_ the notebook, but life was generally more chaotic because of it. More specifically because of the one using it; the book on its own did nothing, Gotou, Akira was the murderer.

He didn't think he would be able to forgive Gotou for what he forced Rin to witness. She said she was alright, but things like that left an impression. No one could predict when it would impact her or how, but it would happen.

Maybe this was it, her shifting closer and wanting to be near him. He hoped so, hoped that was all it did to her, yet feared there'd be more to come and there might be no warning. It could hit her in a month, in an hour, in a year.

For now, she was with him. Safe. He could hold her, she could change the channel, they could drink tea. Her parents weren't far and his phone was ringing again, an unknown number.

"What?" he answered unceremoniously.

"Go on a date."

It took Light a moment to catch the meaning. "You're telling us to leave the house so you can have those cameras removed?"

Rin jerked and whispered, "Cameras?"

The line disconnected.


	16. Chapter Fifteen

A/N: Enjoy **Light Without The Dark**! This story updates on Wednesdays. Most of the time.

―

"So, did he see-" she broke off as they walked down the driveway. "Never mind." She didn't want to know and there was nothing to be done about it.

Light took her hand and joined it with his in the pocket of his jacket. "It better not to ask, he'd probably answer."

She nodded. "We can go to a cafe? There's one down the road." She paused and then her eyes lit up. "Oh! We can ride the cable car to the mountain top."

Seeing her turn and smile lifted his heart. The fear that she wasn't okay was still fresh, but today she was alright. "Yeah, let's do that."

Walking with her was still a surreal experience, especially through her childhood neighborhoods. She grew up here, knew where everything was, pointed out areas that wouldn't interest anyone else, but meant something to her.

A couple times she hid on impulse, pulling him to stand in front of her as she tried to shrink into invisibility and he realized it was due to certain people, their age, passing by in viewing distance.

"Sorry," she eventually apologized. "I shouldn't try to hide, it's just awkward."

He nodded in understanding. "You haven't talked to them in a long time, right?"

"Yes, and I can't think of any parting words that were good. They probably don't even remember anymore, but it makes it hard for me."

'Consistent soul'. Someone who didn't like surprises and resented change. Yet, she so easily accepted the impossible.

"I've been wondering about something," he began as they came to the ropeway. There weren't as many people waiting for the ride up as he'd expected.

Rin saw his eyes trace the few bodies awaiting transport. "Evening is when tourists come," she explained. "But I don't think that's what you're asking. What is it?"

"How did you accept all of _that_ without any trouble?"

The emphasis made its point. "I don't know," she admitted, watching the cable car make its way toward waiting travelers. "I always half believed in things I couldn't see, I never understood why not seeing something meant it couldn't be real. I can't see Tokyo right now, does that mean it's not real?" She shook her head. "The first boy who died was reacting to something he could see, but I couldn't. I would've dismissed it, if you hadn't done the same, as a hallucination, but when you did I just- didn't have a problem believing it was true."

By then they were stepping aboard and conversation flowed to a natural halt for the duration of the three-minute trip.

Off again, and now atop the mountain, they wandered away from the few who'd taken the ride with them.

"Anyway," Rin said as she leaned on the railing. "How do you like the view?" arms spread.

He chuckled and stepped to stand beside her. "It's really amazing," and he meant it.

"It's better about thirty minutes after sunset, but that's also the most crowded time."

He nodded, took in the sights. This was Rin's hometown, the place she spent her youth.

"Later we can go see the Christmas tree and-" he cut her off by leaning down to press a soft kiss to her mouth.

He was struck, again, by how much he cared about her. His logical mind still said it was crazy, a few days into dating and he was ready to tie his future to hers, but he was truly drawn to her. She wasn't a genius or stunning beauty, to be fair certainly neither stupid or ugly either, but he wondered why. Why did he meet her the way he did? On the day he left the Death Note behind?

She was the reason he didn't take it home.

"You know," he murmured as he pulled away. "I think you saved my life."

"What do you mean?" she asked, a little bit breathless, wondering if she would always react that way to him.

"If you hadn't been outside my school that day," he took her hands in his, "I would have taken the notebook."

"If those girls hadn't bumped me, you mean," with a sad sigh and a shiver. "And they're all gone." She didn't mean to get choked up. "Just like that."

He pulled her into his arms, held her tightly; he couldn't say she was wrong. The disturbance was what drew his attention. "No one gets to know for sure when their last day will be," he spoke softly. "Their lives might've been cut short, but maybe not. We can't know."

She didn't actually shed tears, but it was a near miss. "I know, it's just hard," she had to blink moisture back once more. "It's hard to think about. They didn't know those would be their last words, their last actions, and it's, like, what if- This is stupid..."

"No, it's not. What is it?"

An exasperated exhale. "What if I don't see my mom again, you know? What if earlier today was it? What if the last thing she said to me was about _condoms_ ," she whispered the word, "over the phone?"

Light knew she didn't mean to be funny and he swallowed the laugh. "Is that what the call was about?"

She nodded against his chest. "There's a box under the bathroom sink, in case you were wondering."

He wasn't.

"I mean," she continued. "I don't really think it will be, but just what if. What if that was it?"

He thought a moment and said, "It could be worse. At the least it would be a final conversation you had because of something good, it wasn't an argument or misunderstanding. It's your mother trying to take care of you."

"Yeah," she sighed and stepped back. "I know I can't worry about that all the time, but it's all I can think about right now. Well," she paused as her face heated. "Mostly." Even now, when those deaths were still so fresh, mere hours after her parents learned she wasn't all pure innocence, she felt the force of attraction. It was pathetic!

She'd turned from him by then and he moved to stand behind her, rested his hands on her shoulders. "Again, could be worse."

―

"L, V is in South Korea."

He considered an idea for a moment and said, "Have her come here. She'll help us catch Gotou red handed."

If she didn't decide to be combative and bratty, which was a definite possibility; there was a ninety percent chance she wouldn't be helpful in the least until threatened. It didn't help that she was away from Whammy's because of personal reasons, namely a concert series that she snuck out to attend. Took a cab, a plane, with a fake passport that she would now use to get into Japan.

If she didn't, she'd have to deal with Mello who would believe, rightly so, that she was caught and sent home with punishment.

She would certainly resist dying her hair.

Another orphan who'd never seen him in reality; V, Vela, like most of the others knew him by electronic voice and stories only. As many of them did she claimed not to care about L or anything he said, also like most of them that was a lie. He didn't doubt she would want to meet him personally and it was least he could do, as this mission might be both her first and last. There was a good chance she'd die if she got close enough to Gotou to find the notebook.

She wasn't in the top three and that meant she wasn't anywhere. Fortunately, she took it better than others in the past, seeking to establish her own identity though it manifested in sometimes dangerous ways including a phase of promiscuity with wealthy older men.

In general, L wasn't troubled by any of them, least of all V.

Roger, however, disliked her strongly; already one with an aversion to children and there was Vela, acting for all the world like a foolish teenage girl. She was possibly the child he detested most.

L surmised she behaved that way purposely and that it had the effect she desired. It got her out of the house when she wanted to run off to a foreign country. Roger didn't notice her missing for two days.

Her talent with languages would be useful.

―

Rin knew it would be impossible to hide from every old classmate they passed on the street and steeled her resolve as they descended the mountain.

It was silly to hide. Chances were not a one remembered her. Since starting high school she'd completely fallen out of contact with those who were once hometown friends; would anyone recognize her, let alone call out to her when she was with someone they didn't know?

Yet, there was a hint of disappointment when it didn't happen.

It was a small deflate that Light caught, sagging shoulders, as they trekked toward the Doma family home. He didn't ask her what made her sad, determined to give her a chance to speak of it if she wanted to, and indoors once more helped her remove her coat.

"There's really not much to do here," she said, watching as he hung his own jacket on the rack. "Not in the winter around the house, at least. We have some board games..." They also had bedrooms that she wasn't going to think about. Being caught once was bad enough, it wasn't going to happen again. "...and the television, but that's it."

Yes, her boring home life. She remembered the pain each and every summer. It wasn't always that way; when she was younger and surrounded by friends they'd do tests of courage at the cemetery or play hide-and-seek at the warehouses. Wandering all day, staying out a little too late at night. Meeting up for drinks and snacks at cafes. Honestly, she had a great childhood.

Middle school changed so many things and high school put the final nail in the coffin.

"If it was summer I'd say we should head to the beach, but it's way too cold for that."

"Well," Light said. "This is what winter is like. Cold and kind of dull."

She couldn't help thinking that it didn't have to be either of those things, but that risk! It wasn't worth it!

"Right?" A laugh that sounded fake and Light noticed, she saw his eyebrows raise. "Yeah, cold and dull." Stiffly, she turned to head to the living room, but was stopped by him. He'd wrapped his arms around her from behind again.

The last time, in the kitchen, she was still too upset to really appreciate it. It was a special kind of feeling, she thought. Safe and comforting.

"What exactly are you trying to hide?"

She bit her lip but decided against lying. That was how relationships ended. "I just… We got caught a few hours ago, my fault, I know. Even so, right now, it's just… I want-" She didn't know how to say it. All the courage it took to walk into his room dressed in lingerie deserted her.

Light didn't need her to say it, though. He'd been having the same thoughts. The desire shifted aside when the idea of _L_ , whoever he really was, watching came up, but hormones weren't rational. In the back of his mind, he wondered if it mattered. Did he really care about that? Would Rin? Not in the heat of the moment, but after the fact, of course, they'd care!

Then again, L said the cameras were being removed.

Supposedly.

Whether or not he could trust the detective was an unknown, but he highly doubted he'd lie about that, especially considering the ones under surveillance were teenagers in a romantic relationship. Catching that would definitely cross legal and moral lines.

"I know what you mean," he said, saving her as she tried to think of a better way to convey feelings. "I understand and, just so you know, I actually feel the same way. We both feel stupid about it, but if you're willing to risk it-"

She turned suddenly and kissed him.

―

Overwhelming. That was how it should be described, she decided as they staggered up the stairs, joined at the lips. Both were determined to keep all clothing on until they were safely shut inside a bedroom. It turned out to be hers and they disengaged long enough to be sure the curtains were drawn.

She was so glad she'd kept the lingerie and she might even thank Mei for making her buy the stuff. Maybe. Someday.

His touch was fire, fingers dancing down her arm and fluttering across her stomach. The agreement was made once more; they would go no further than they did at his house. A safety thing. They were both against touching that box in the bathroom. The idea of going all the way wasn't currently appealing to either, so, Rin supposed her parent's efforts somewhat paid off.

She didn't want to think about that too deeply and the thoughts slid through her mind, replaced by a desire to make Light harder than he already was.

When she broke away, backed into the wall and slowly slid downward, one hand trailing painted plaster, robin's egg blue, and the other her body, she watched for his reaction. Saw his eyes darken. As she met the floor she turned, pushed her front against the partition and, after a quick look over her shoulder to be sure he was enthralled, turned again to open her mouth, to lick. Dragging her tongue over the rough surface was exhilarating, a new and different texture. She did it again, bumped her hips into the wall, grinding and reached into her hair to pull. The moan she released was full of passion. Thinking of Light. Rubbing off in front of him, her whole body flushed and hot.

She'd just cum when he grabbed her, yanked her around to face him and yet he only hovered above her. Didn't kiss her. She felt his eyes, she couldn't open hers yet, as he watched her come down from the high, panting.

Lips were moistened and then she looked, saw the unbridled need in him and she was on her knees in a moment. Again, him in her mouth again, and it was even better this second time. She had more confidence. The sucking and tasting, the way he rocked into her. The coil within twisted again, even as he came and she lapped his release.

On the bed, on her back, bra gone and he'd pulled boxers back on. A barrier. To remind himself, and her, of how far they would go.

He pinched a nipple, watched as she arched her neck and squirmed, and then rolled both between thumb and forefinger.

"Light!" A breathy gasp and a demand for, "More!"

His hands slid along her body, so smooth, kneaded her breasts and he leaned down to kiss her. Mouths wide open and tongues entwined. His kisses traveled, licked as she writhed. Lower and lower, so slowly, reverently, until he reached lace.

As the night before, fingers found their way inside and then tongue. Her shouts were no longer muted, she called his name, and his cock hardened as she clutched, twisted, and came.

It was going to be a long afternoon.

―

By the time Rin's parents returned home, the teens were downstairs again and nothing was amiss. There was no talk of the earlier, interrupted, indiscretions and certainly, the youngers didn't mention what happened afterward, so the evening was a smooth sailing. Mostly.

Of course, the news was on the television and the stories brought memories of the gore back for Rin, but she thought she did a good job hiding it. Her parents, at least, didn't notice. Light did and, actually, that made her feel better. That meant he cared. A lot. Not that her parents didn't, but if he was going to be her husband…

And they needed to talk about that.

It was difficult to imagine. Obviously, they would wait awhile for all of that because, well, it just didn't make sense yet, did it?

If she were being honest, she wasn't brave enough to even think of eloping. She also wasn't brave enough to walk around with a ring, which they did discuss a small bit back when he first asked her about it. She didn't want a diamond. They were overpriced and unethical sourced.

In any case, with her senior year of high school and his freshmen year of university on the horizon, they'd both be busy enough without worrying about bills and maintenance. Or a baby.

The slight blush was only seen by Light, who wondered what it was about, and asked later when they were both upstairs for the night.

"I was thinking about the future and I do want to talk about it, but I thought, you know, someday..." she ducked her head and muttered, "kids."

He almost didn't hear her, but the word did come through and it made him blink. It wasn't that he hadn't considered it, but not with much depth. Of all the things they'd talked about _that_ was the most difficult to conceptualize. His memories the very young Sayu were blurred at best and Rin was an only child. He didn't think either of them had much experience with infants or even toddlers, outside of once being that small themselves but that hardly counted.

"I was thinking I should take another internship, but at a daycare or something like that. Maybe volunteer."

He nodded. "That's a good idea."

They sat on the floor in his room, her parents were across the hall in the master with the door shut, but they whispered anyway. An unspoken agreement, they would keep both their doors open, foregoing any privacy throughout the night. An illusion of safety that Miyuki and Hiro both desired, more so Miyuki.

Actually, Hiro was hardly disturbed by any of it! The story of seeing Rin's backward shirt was hilarious to him. Miyuki always thought herself a forward-facing parent, ready and willing, accepting. But, now? It was right in front of her!

"They're so close," she hissed at Hiro that night as they settled in for sleep. "And I'm not talking about physically. I mean, it's so, it's...Not that it's bad, but it just doesn't seem possible. How long have they known each other again?"

Hiro shifted. "Not sure, not very long though." He thought about it for a moment. "I see what you mean, but like you said it's not a bad thing, and should we be surprised? Look at us!"

He took it all so well! How could he be so nonchalant about their baby girl on the road to marriage?! That was all it could be, to Miyuki's mind. That was what she saw. Light and Rin, there was no other path for them that she could see. They were rapidly heading toward wedding bells.

"I never saw this for her though," she complained, a light hit to her husband's chest made him jump. "She's not like that! She was always so careful and consistent."

"Yeah, well, real love isn't often either of those things. If there's one thing about them it's real and that's why I'm fine with it. If I thought they were just a fling, that Light would hurt her, or even she hurt him, it would be different."

That was right. He was right. Whatever brought them together was strong, perhaps strong enough to keep them together. Miyuki didn't know why they were so tied, but it was plain to see. Even a few customers commented on noticing the pair out earlier in the afternoon, asking if they'd been together long. She hedged those answers, fudged a couple lies.

" _When's the wedding?"_ A joking question, but she was seriously considering it now.

"I know Nina was making a joke earlier," Hrio said suddenly. "But I'm wondering myself." Apparently, he was thinking of it, too. "I can't explain why, but I think they might actually be headed in that direction."

Miyuki shook herself. "No," a little white lie. "Not yet. They're probably not thinking about that at all, it's just us adults looking too far ahead."

She hoped.

She didn't feel ready to contemplate grandchildren yet.

―

The next morning saw all four around the dining room table, talk was light of plans for the day, and suggestions were made for places to visit.

"Well, he should definitely see the church, the cemetery, and go see some of the views only locals know about, too."

"Take some cash and go to the market! It's open until two."

Nothing serious was discussed and the television was tuned to a game show. A western spread of toast, eggs, fried ham, and a hint of Japanese with side dishes, was quickly devoured. Of course, Light spoke more about himself and his family, about planning to work alongside his father one day. Rin's parents were suitably impressed to hear that he'd already been a partner on a few cases.

"No, no!" Miyuki waved off the boy's humble attitude. "You should be proud of that! I wonder if that could count toward university credits or something?"

"Speaking of that," Hiro interjected. "Where are you planning to go?"

"I'm not sure yet," Light said. "I have a few interviews coming up soon."

"Oh! You need to go visit the schools or…?"

"No, actually," he ducked his head. This part was a little awkward. It was a good thing, but not easy to talk about. In a society where rocking the boat was avoided at all costs, he felt like this should be kept quiet. "It's more like I'll be interviewing them." When Rin cocked her head to the side, trying to interpret what he meant, he added, "I didn't end up needing to send any applications in. They came to me."

"Ahh," Hiro nodded in understanding and folded his arms. "We've got a great one here," wagged his finger across the table at Light. "Good job, Rin."

"What?!" Red as any tomato.

"How did you meet him anyway?"

"You already heard all about that!"

"That's really all that happened? That's not interesting at all! What are we supposed to tell the neighborhood?"

The rest of the meal passed in that way. Miyuki rolled her eyes at it all, Light smothered laughter, and Rin found herself the butt of her father's jokes until the workday was ready to begin.

With her parents out of the house, Rin sank to the floor complaining, "I wasn't made to handle this kind of thing."


	17. Chapter Sixteen

A/N: Enjoy **Light Without The Dark**! This story updates on Wednesdays. Most of the time. I'm sorry I missed last week, but I was sick! I hope everyone had a happy holiday! Let's look forward to a new year together!

―

V was trying very hard not to be excited. She didn't want to be excited, she wished she wasn't. But how could she not be? Despite everything, being so unsmart and typical, all on purpose, and _she_ was being asked, well demanded, by L?

Any exhilaration was tempered with concern though. The truth was there was no reason for her to actually meet him, yet that was the offer. He could have told her what to do in another way, but now she was in Japan, waiting to deplane, and within the hour she'd see, face-to-face, the object of both her dreams and nightmares.

V wasn't sure how she truly felt about L. She didn't like thinking that was all she had to live up to, knowing it was impossible, and then having to live anyway. Trying to be someone original in a place so full of sameness. That was how they were raised. They were supposed to be like L, as close to the real thing as possible, and she fell so short.

She was too much of a girl, too rebellious. Roger hated her the most and she wore that like a badge of honor.

Also, Mello would flip out when he heard about this.

Still, she knew this wasn't something simple. L did all of these things on his own unless there was a risk. He couldn't be risked.

She could be.

Yes, she felt sure that was the truth. She knew about the insanity of the deaths in Japan and that had to be the reason for her involvement. Deaths that seemed impossible.

Would she die?

Did she even care?

Off the plane and there was someone with a sign. Her false name, Yui Roberts because she was supposedly half-and-half, was represented right at the front of the line. 'Welcome Home' it said. Playing a part right off the bat.

A girl returning to her mother's country, there to spend a few months in high school and possibly remain for university. She didn't know her full story yet.

Bags were claimed, she was in the car, and on her way to a hotel. It was overwhelming, to say the least. She left Whammy's to see a concert, not to get dragged into a death game! Not to meet L for possibly the first and last time.

That was the only explanation that made sense. Whatever this 'mission' was, it had the potential to kill her.

There were surely worse ways to die.

―

Less than logical and maybe that would be the key.

Or maybe it would get them all killed.

The percentages weren't favorable.

Either way, V was to enter Daikoku as a foreign exchange student. She would be staying with the Yagami's, her role to keep them all in the dark as well. The chief alone would know the truth, potentially Light at some point as well, and she would be Yui Roberts.

She'd not been impressed by their meeting.

"L is _you_?!"

Underwhelmed was putting it mildly.

She was sent post-haste to the beautician who would dye her hair a more appropriate black, it's natural color incidentally, though, as predicted, she wasn't so easily convinced. The promise of a large allowance made it happen. She'd undergone multiple rounds of bleaching so she could achieve pastel pink and all at once it had to go.

"Can't I just wear a wig?"

No, she couldn't. It was too risky and she must never, never, reveal her true name.

For the most part, she didn't ask questions. Rather, she stared sullenly at the face of the one purported to be L. She was deeply disappointed.

He wasn't bothered.

―

"An exchange student?"

When Sayu returned home from her final day of school before break, just a half-day, she found her bedroom transformed. A bunk bed resided there now, & another desk, apparently for a foreigner coming to stay.

"Yes, your father called earlier and said it was a last minute cancellation that he got wind of. Offered a place here and it seems the agency provided the furniture. She's going to Daikoku, too."

"Ooo," wide-eyed. "I wonder if she'll be blond?"

"I have no idea, but Sayu, be tactful alright? Alright?" She had to call it up the stairs to the retreating back of the young teen.

"Sure, sure!"

So she said. And she would mean to, Sachiko knew that, but Sayu did lack a little when it came to consideration. She was a good girl with a good heart, but sometimes thoughtless.

She'd done well with Rin though and that was something to be thankful for. Thinking of it, Soichiro hadn't said anything more about that whole incident, but there was probably an open investigation into the affair.

However that turned out, at least Rin had Light at her side now. Sachiko was slightly concerned about possible issues on that front, but the two of them were smart. Level-headed. She tried not to think of it, but of course, it was in the back of her mind. They were both young and she'd seen something the other day, in the way Light looked at her. It wasn't just a little bit of fondness, not something that seemed likely to fade in a few months time. It was... troubling? No, that wasn't the right for it.

She couldn't put her finger on it, yet whatever it was had her worrying. Maybe just the feelings of a mother, surely they all went through this with first relationships, but that was it! It didn't seem like that. Light was considerate and conscientious all the time, yet with Rin, it was more. So much more.

She'd thought it strange how excited he was at the outset and after seeing them together she couldn't help thinking that she'd missed something crucial.

"Sayu," she said as her daughter took a seat on the couch. "What do you think about Doma-san?"

"Huh?" It took a moment for her to understand the question; Hideki Ryuga was about to be on television and she didn't want to miss a second of it. "She's really pretty."

Sachiko sighed. "I meant her...personality! What do you think of her personality?"

"I knew what you meant!" the child protested. "I still say 'pretty'." In Sayu's mind, Doma Rin was a pretty sort of person. Everything about her was pretty. The way she walked and talked, her looks too of course, but it wasn't just that. "She matches with Light, I think." Her brother was something special, too.

With that, Sachiko let the subject drop. She'd thought the same, it just didn't seem possible. This was Light's first relationship, how could it be so serious? Could they really be in love? _Really_ in love?

She supposed she should prepare her heart for that.

―

Rin was having a difficult time keeping her hands off Light, but she was trying. That wasn't all there was to them, right? They weren't just physical. She wanted to talk with him. Be around him and find out more about who he was.

She thought she knew him well enough, at least, part of her did. The part itching for him to touch her again. The part that said it would be alright to go all the way. Fortunately, she knew it wasn't. That was off limits for good reason.

And it would stay that way. She was determined.

Clearing the table together, washing and drying the dishes, mundane everyday tasks that might, someday, be their normal. It was like the Death Note didn't exist, but it did. It was because of that notebook that they met in the first place, she felt sure of it. As she'd explained to him before, she'd thought about it. There was a curse for using it, spelled out for anyone to read, and she believed there was a counterpart. A yin and yang dynamic.

She couldn't imagine how hard it would be to resist using it if she had it, yet Light did. He put it back and walked away.

Now it was in the hands of another person, someone whose will didn't stand up to temptation.

"Do you think," she began suddenly. "He doesn't realize what the punishment is?"

They were returned to the living room, the television more background noise than anything.

"The killer?"

"Yeah. I just don't understand how anyone could read that and still use it."

"Well, first he probably didn't think it was real. Of course, we know now that it is and by then it was too late. I'd bet he's thinking he might as well use it as much as possible. If he can't go to Heaven or Hell, then what is there? He's not in his right mind at this point anyway."

She nodded. That was true. Becoming a serial murderer wasn't something a normal person would do.

"On top of that," Light continued. "I think the Death Note has more power than described. It draws humans in, makes them want to try it. A lot of people are like that, right? We want to try something bad, sometimes illegal. Push limits and see what we can get away with."

"Kids do that," she observed. "But they're just learning. It's not the same."

"That's true, but teenagers rebelling, isn't that what the Death Note is preying on? Human frailty. Our weakness for darkness. Us, too." He put his arm around her shoulders, pulled her closer. "We're definitely not supposed to have a very physical relationship, but we want to. We shouldn't do anything here, but we did. Is it wrong? I'm not sure. Not as wrong as killing someone, sure, but maybe not right either."

She didn't like to think it was wrong. But, maybe, the killer didn't either. Two very different things.

"You know what would be wrong?" she asked, trying to suppress a telltale blush.

"What?"

Rin shifted, onto her knees, and moved onto his lap, turned to face him. "Kissing here, on the couch," she ran a hand through his hair. "But I want to. I guess I can understand it a little, wanting to do things that are wrong." It wasn't the same though. "I know they could come back," she leaned down, rested her forehead on his shoulder as his arms circled her. "I know they'll sit here later. My parents. And yours, what we did when they were asleep..." She sat back and put her hands to his neck. "But I'm not sorry."

A small quirk of the mouth, "Me either," and he kissed her.

Everything about them was too deep, too fast, but he didn't think that was bad. It just was. Sometimes life took you by surprise and this was one of those surprises that weren't awful. The Death Note practically dropped into his lap and then, when he left it alone, Rin did. There was something more to it all, and he might never know what this was truly about, but it was fine. It could remain a mystery. He didn't need an answer.

All he wanted was what he had.

―

"He was at the library several days ago," Watari reported. "Right now, we're working on finding what he was searching for."

L didn't answer, barely inclined his head. V was back, black hair returned, sullen and sneering as she observed the picture of her target. "This person? Why? He's so plain!"

"It's for all our safety that we aren't revealing the full story to you," dispassionate as ever. "You have experience putting those feelings aside, don't you?" A jab, but she wasn't rattled. He didn't think she would be. "The only thing you need to worry about is looking for a black notebook with English writing on its front. If you ever see it, and these instructions are of the utmost importance, you _will not_ touch it. You will make no reference to it in Gotou, Akira's presence. You will pretend you never noticed it. You will gain his trust, his affection if possible, and that is your mission. See the notebook."

"What kind of-"

"Vela," Watari spoke, in the timbre of an admonishing grandfather.

She wasn't supposed to ask questions, she was supposed to accept and work. If she couldn't be L, then she was a pawn. She knew that.

She knew that.

But that didn't make it easy to accept.

Her bags were packed, all full of new clothes and a couple of uniforms. She had a prepaid card fully loaded with all the money she'd need plus what she'd demanded. If she survived it was hers to keep and for the next year she'd still receive the allowance.

Sixteen and sent to die all because L was worth more than her and she admitted it, he was. She was no good to anyone, except for this. Speaking Japanese and a history of conning men brought her here and she didn't even know why.

She was about to die without knowing why.


	18. Chapter Seventeen

A/N: Enjoy **Light Without The Dark**! We back! I had real life things to attend to with the new year. Happy 2019 ya'll!

―

Rin never once considered herself the kind of girl who would 'put out'. She wasn't, the very idea made her gag. So, why was it so different with Light? Why did she want to prance around in nothing but her underwear just to see what he would do about it?

It was so stupid!

She couldn't help herself though.

Looking up highly embarrassing content on her laptop, when Light left her for a while to take a shower, was done with as much discretion as possible. The browser she used purportedly to be as secretive as anyone could get; it didn't save passwords, history or searches of any kind.

Learning more about how to 'pleasure' her boyfriend? How to make him hard for her? She _never_ wanted anyone to know she'd tried to find out. In the end, it sounded simple. Men were very visual creatures. If she could keep herself fit she'd be basically okay, but there was more to it. Things she had no idea of.

She wasn't ready for all of it, suspected neither of them was, and settled for something less daunting, though still nerve-wracking. The fear that her parents would come home was off the charts, yet she comforted herself with the knowledge that she would hear them before they got inside. She had clothes laid out, just in case.

All available precautions taken, she now sat on the floor, knees splayed, in a pair of ruffled panties. Her hair was left down and one arm partially covered her breasts. She'd thought of using a ribbon, but that seemed excessive.

The water was off.

Deep breath.

It wasn't that she feared his reaction, Light was clearly as excited by her as she was by him, but it was still difficult to get used to. The thought of it. It wasn't easy to accept her own demanding desires either.

How could she be so... _horny_?

Teenage hormones finally set in and she didn't know what to do with them all.

Yet he was too and there was no doubting it as he walked out of the bathroom, shirtless, wearing sweatpants with a towel around his neck. He was still drying his hair but stopped dead when he saw her.

"Rin." Stunned.

"I feel like this is too much," a confession. "But, I just want you all the time!" Breathless, looking up to him. "And I want you to want me, too..." She bit her lip. "So, do you?"

There could only be one answer and it saw him on his knees before her as he took her face his hands. "All the time."

Her smile was beautiful as she leaned up to kiss him. Their earlier escapade, within the living room, didn't go as far as other moments. Heavy petting was involved, but neither could shake the idea of her parents being in that room later.

She was plastered against him now, felt the full of his length press against her stomach as he maneuvered her nearer and she gently rubbed her center against him. Mouths open, tongues caressing, his hands on her back and hers in his hair.

It was so easy to love Light, to moan his name as she broke away and moved to try sucking on his earlobe. It worked. She licked the shell of his ear, teased with her teeth, before pulling away slightly to see what he thought of it.

His eyes were pitch black.

"Light," she said. "Be, could you, I mean," she glanced away and then back again. "Be a little rough with me?"

She was on her back in a moment and he dragged her toward him as she gasped.

"Rough?"

She nodded.

He took a fistfull of hair, carefully, and said, "Tell me when it's enough." He pulled lightly, harder and harder until she closed her eyes and flushed. Both hands came up to his and she held his wrist, made him yank and then cried out, but not in pain. "I didn't know you'd like that kind of thing." But it was interesting. "What else will you like?" It was more rhetorical, something they could only learn with time, and he whispered the question as he leaned down to bite her lower lip.

He recalled their first tryst, spanking her and the way she had to bite the pillow to keep quiet. Apparently, Rin was a little bit of a masochist.

―

It was surprisingly easy to pretend nothing happened and she hoped her parents didn't suspect a thing. As far as Rin could tell, they didn't give anything away and neither parent appeared concerned. Then again, they might just be good at hiding it, but she chose to believe they had no idea.

Regardless, they had other things to do.

"We're putting up the tree! The order is in for the KFC, has been for weeks actually, and an order for a cake."

She'd almost forgotten all about Christmas.

"And today was the emperor's birthday, it's too bad you couldn't visit the Imperial Palace Rin, you always seem to miss it."

That was true, she'd not been since she got to high school even though it was one of the things she most looked forward to.

"But, tomorrow, you can Light can take a romantic Christmas Eve wal-"

"Dad!"

He was _so_ embarrassing and she didn't understand why he was so set on pushing them together. Weren't dad's supposed to be the ones standing in the way of any relationships? And why was her mother so silent and staring?

If anyone had suspicions, it was her.

"You two will go to get the food on the 25th."

"In the snow?!"

She'd seen the reports. A bit of a storm was headed their way; not predicted to be awful, but still. Why walk when they had a car?

Light took in the scene as Rin argued with her father. It was a very different dynamic than his own family; he wouldn't dream of attempting that type of banter with his own parents. He supposed his household was more traditional in that respect.

It was interesting, to witness her argument. He wondered what kind of family they might have one day and quickly put the thought aside. As deep as they dove, as fast as it happened, there were some things that were not on the table, not yet, and he didn't want to rush through everything. He wanted to take time to be with, and to get to know, Rin.

Loving her was easy, knowing her would take more effort and he was willing to expand the will power to make it happen. It was baffling, yet with Rin's possible insight into the workings of the Death Note, it made more sense. The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed.

Not exactly logical, but what was anymore?

What was logical about a notebook that could kill anyone whose name was written within? A weapon of mass destruction dropped to earth by one who'd used it before, now a shinigami. Living on in a realm of dust and gambling. They may well not recall the truth of their origins, considering the way 'Ryuk' said, "Watching you humans...". He, It, didn't identify with humanity.

Again, it made a certain kind of sense. The person who would use the Death Note would be less than human, wouldn't they? It wasn't like killing in self-defense. This was premeditated, from a distance, and the target had no possible way of avoiding death. Absolute murder.

Yet he was sitting in such a normal place. His life was normal. Even if he and Rin eloped in the middle of a cold winter's night it would still be more acceptable than the existence of the Death Note. Not that anyone else would know and he hoped this secret remained hidden forever. He couldn't begin to imagine the world with that knowledge freely available.

'Kira'. At this point, the world _was_ reacting to the killer. People were being more careful with their behavior, he'd noted it within his classroom on the small scale and worldwide violent crime rates had dropped. It wasn't surprising.

They didn't know the truth. To anyone else 'Kira' appeared godlike; an omnipresent officiator of justice. No one mourned murderers or rapists.

How long would it be before the new god went totally insane with power?

―

Gotou Akira was reasonably confident he would never be caught. In fact, he thought the police would soon give up the case. Why pursue it when crime rates were plummeting? When there was no evidence one way or the other? It was a waste of resources and the public would be on his side. On Kira's side. They'd call for more.

Justice. He'd never had justice before he took it into his own hands. There were too many stories like his own, some far worse. What ever truly happened to those responsible? Nothing much.

So he wouldn't go to Heaven and Hell would reject him, too. At least those fuckers, who messed with the lives of others, would be headed off on their express passes to fiery pits. Whatever happened to him didn't matter.

At first, he was shocked, terrified. Horrified. He didn't think it would work, of course. It couldn't. That was impossible. But his tormentors were dead, one by one they fell, and it was accomplished with the stroke of a pen. A teacher who stood aside, turned his head even though he knew of the bullying, was gone, too. The world was a better place without do nothings and no gooders.

Everyone saw it. They knew it.

The shinigami Ryuk nearly killed him with his, it's, appearance. So suddenly there in the night. Yet, he was still alive and Ryuk had no intention of stopping him.

"I dropped it because I was bored."

Whatever. That didn't matter to Akira, he still believed it was fate. Why else was he the one to pick it up? It could have been anyone, but it was him. Who else would have been desperate enough to try it out? Who else would keep going after it worked? He doubted there was another person on the planet brave enough.

He'd never been brave before that day.

His own father would die at work in a few hours. Finally, that abuse would end and they'd get his pension. No one knew what kind of man he really was. A professor in high standing, his students had nothing bad to say about him. No one knew he was a drunk, that he took any and all stress out on his family at home. A house of lies.

One more lie gone, by the stroke of a pen. A heart attack removing a further blight from the earth.

Akria wondered if anyone would question it, decided they wouldn't and that was fine. It didn't matter. Let them mourn the fucker. His family would know the truth about the man, that he deserved death and whatever awaited him in Hell.

Part of him wanted to tell the world all about Gotou Haruto's true face, but that would shame them all. To think they'd lived with it so quietly, that his mother wore makeup to hide bruises. The public _might_ have sympathy, but the opposite reaction was possible and Akira didn't want to risk it. It didn't matter. As long as Haruto was dead and gone he would pretend to be a grieving son, his mother would pretend to be a grieving wife, and his sister might start coming home to visit again.

She'd married to run away and Akira didn't know what kind of man he was, but if he got wind of any level of abuse he'd take that guy out too.

He would deliver justice until the day he died.

―

"-ead today was the man accused of killing Amane Misa's family..."

She'd watched the clip a hundred times, still couldn't believe it was real. Was the murder truly gone? Forever?

Rem said he was. She'd gone to check and came back with proof. Misa didn't believe Rem would ever lie to her anyway.

Still, to think he got what he deserved, finally, after that horrific miscarriage of justice that was the trial. How was she supposed to feel? Her family was gone, but at least her parents were in Heaven. She was sure of it. They were the best people.

The murder was burning in Hell.

Kira did that.

She would have done it herself, but she hadn't had the Death Note yet. The story Rem told her, about the shinigami who loved her, was heartrending. Truly, truly. He must have been good. He must have gone somewhere better after that.

Now she had a notebook of her own and she was going to find Kira and help him. There were other people like her out there, left all alone and the ones who ruined lives roamed free. They had to die, too. Kira knew that.

Misa would find Kira and she already had a plan. She'd spent the last several hours thinking of it and felt sure it was foolproof. She would send out tapes, careful of leaving fingerprints behind, and call him out. But, there was one thing she needed to do first.

"Rem?"

"Yes, Misa?"

Rem was good, too. She could tell.

"I want to make the eye deal."


End file.
